Ricochet
by Nukumi
Summary: Sometimes what pulls you in also pushes you away. TenNejIno
1. Chapter 1

**Ricochet**

_..._

_In Konohagakure, the suicide rate among shinobi was 63%. The divorce rate among shinobi was 68%. And if a shinobi was married to another shinobi, that number climbed to 84%. _

_There were reasons orphans were common in Konoha._

_..._

"If he were my husband, I wouldn't allow it. You've spoiled him, paying him so much attention all these years. A man should consider his wife's feelings."

A gray haired woman with a rounded face and hard eyes smoothed stray strands of hair back into her bun before continuing to fold a bed sheet. Her wrinkled hands moved deftly over the material, folding with a speed and precision that only came with many years of being a housewife. She flicked her eyes upward to glance at her granddaughter.

"Do you hear me, child? You mustn't let him have his way so often. He'll lose respect for you if you let him do as he pleases. I expect you to have a talk with him about this; you are a married woman now, it is time to behave like one."

With a slight frown, Tenten acknowledged her grandmother with a nod.

"Yes, grandmother."

Her grandmother, in turn, reciprocated the frown. Finishing with the piece of laundry in her hands, she set it down to take the large white shirt Tenten was working on out of her hands. She eyed it disapprovingly, shaking it out to re-fold it herself.

"Good heavens child, you must learn to do this correctly! Watch again as I do this next one."

"Yes, grandmother."

Tenten didn't mention the fact that, having been in Ninja Academy and served as an active gennin (and later chuunin) for several years, domestic duties had never been high on her priority list. More often than not, she and her team wore the same pair of clothes for days on end, getting filthy and faded and worn at the edges. The few times they were able to do laundry (not counting the times they simply bathed in rivers, fully clothed), that chore was usually relegated to Lee, who approached it with the same eagerness as training. She tried not to be offended by the scathing tone in her grandmother's voice.

With a huff, Tenten's grandmother noted that she was spacing out instead of paying attention. Setting the shirt down briskly, she paused a moment before reaching out to take Tenten's hand in her own. Her eyes scanned over the backs of them before she flipped them over to inspect the palms as well. Their rough, calloused texture nearly chaffed her own delicate skin and although clean, they seemed to perpetually bare a soot-like tint. Years of handling and painstakingly polishing weapons could do that. Tenten's nails were short and uneven and her grandmother was only greatful that they were clean. She looked into her granddaughter's carefully blank chestnut eyes and tried to find some softness in her features. Being a warrior had made her hard and now it fell to her to make her _soft_, presentable.

"At least require him to get you a ring! You've been married for two years now, there's no excuse for not having one. Being a proper wife begins with being a proper _woman_, Tenten."

Her grandmother managed to choke back the rest of her words _Dress more nicely. Do something with your hair._ But she was already tired of hearing Tenten's defense of how her hairstyle was practical, keeping it out of her face, and how a simple top and pants were all she needed. Heaven forbid she wear a dress. The least the child could do was wear a wedding band, she had no other jewelry to speak of.

For her part, Tenten took the criticism in silence. There was no need to explain to her grandmother that she, in fact, hated jewelry and had told Neji that she didn't want a ring. Shinobi didn't need wedding bands, they were an _inconvenience_.

Then again, Tenten wasn't a shinobi anymore.

She'd traded her dreams of being a legendary kunoichi for her other dream; her dream of marrying the boy she'd always loved.

She still wasn't sure it'd been a fair trade. She got the boy she wanted, yet she lost him at the same time.

* * *

_Come on, Neji. Come on. Come on._

Not for the first time that night, Ino wished her medical knowledge and chakra control were on Sakura's level. This would be so much easier if she was.

"Is he going to...?"

"KEEP BREATHING."

The order flies from her lips with unquestionable authority, nevermind that she isn't the team leader. At this moment, their leader was down for the count and Ino did what she did best - take charge. A flicker of doubt ran across Eri Koyamada's face before she bent her head down again to blow air into the fallen Hyuuga's mouth. Ino scowled and pumped more chakra into her palms. With every breath Koyamada blew into Neji, the holes Ino was desperately trying to heal wavered. She wished like hell she could simply stick a plug in each lung and make him better _just like that_ because her hands are starting to shake and unlike Naruto, her chakra was not unlimited. Another minute passes before she feels less of the chakra in her left palm being absorbed. The right soon follows suit, and Ino almost sighs in relief.

_Step One: Stop the Bleeding. Complete._

She moved her hands then, fingers pressing lightly around Neji's chest. The dual puncture wounds to his lungs were sealed now, but now there was loose air and blood pooled in his chest cavity that needed removing. The corners of her mouth dipped downward. He'd seen the attack coming when this happened, but she and Koyamada had been standing right beside him at the time. If he'd done a _Kaiten_ he'd have hurt them both in the process, and the assailant had been out of hand range.

Fumbling with her weapons pouch she produced a senbon with one hand, kneading Neji's chest with the other. If she could gather the blood into one area, maybe she'd only have to make _one_ incision to lance it out and then smooth the air pockets to that area. She held her breath as the tool penetrated his chest, only a second, and blood ran and air bubbled out with it. She exhaled and set the senbon down beside her, then looked to her other teammate.

"You can stop now."

With a hint of worry, the girl obeyed, dark brown eyes wondering if this were a turn for the better or a turn for the worst. Ino's eyebrows drew together as she looked at Neji's face, praying that what she was about to do would go smoothly. She only had two minutes to remove the blood that had leaked into Neji's lungs before lack of oxygen started to affect his brain. Ideally, she'd liked to do so with him breathing or having someone breathe for him, but what she planned was going to cause him to choke and she didn't need anything obstructing his mouth.

"Come here."

Ino directed her to the middle of Neji's body. Koyamada's wavy, sandy brown hair swayed as she moved into position.

"Put your hands over his stomach. After I move my hands, you push, okay?"

She was answered with a nod. Ino blinked, then placed her hands flat over his lungs.

_3..2..1.._

She channeled her chakra again and pushed upwards, hands moving in parallel lines towards Neji's neck. She tried to keep her flow as even as possible; too much chakra foced into him would blow out both of his lungs completely.

"Push!"

Koyamada pushed. Ino put her hands back over Neji's lungs and repeated the action. Koyamada pushed without instruction. The third time, Ino heard a gurgling noise in the back of Neji's throat. With a hand Ino signalled to stop and the two of them turned him onto his stomach, holding him up by the shoulders. Nearly half a cup of blood ran out of his mouth. They hit his back with soft _thwacks_ and laid him on his back again. Koyamada gave Neji a few more breaths before he began to breathe on his own. The girls exchanged looks of relief, and Ino dug around in her pouch for smelling salts. Putting the strongest one under his nose, Neji awoke with a large gasp.

Ino was silently thankful not to hear any rattling or wheezing. Koyamada smiled and wiped Neji's blood from her lips.

Neji regarded them both with the slightest of frowns, liken to the look a person gives when their morning newspaper is wet, and sat up. He only coughed once before he spoke.

"Position?"

"Basement.", Ino chimed in. They had been on the second floor of the building when he'd slipped into unconsciousness, unable to catch his breath. Getting his 170 pounds of lean muscle down two flights of stairs without being seen had been a small miracle.

"Duration?"

"Sixteen minutes."

Saying it out loud, Ino felt a pang of shame that it had taken her that long to heal and revive him. Every second counted on missions, especially if a team member was taken out. Had they been discovered, the three of them would very well have died. Neji was the primary fighter on the team, they needed him more than he needed them.

Neji stood up and took a deep breath while his eyes panned upwards, looking for shinobi on the floor above them.

"There's six above us. We're using exit plan C."

The girls nodded and stood up.

* * *

"Tenten?"

The brunette paused mid-stride and turned toward the voice. Approaching on her left was a male her age, and she recognized him as one of the gennin graduates from her year. Team Two, was it?

"Tanaka?"

The male, clad in long gray short and a darker gray top, came closer and gave a friendly wave. He smiled warmly as he stood across from her.

"I thought it was you! Can't miss the double buns. How's your team? Haven't seen you since graduation day. You didn't show up at the chuunin exams...?"

Recalling that year, Tenten quirked her lips and shrugged.

"Yeah. Gai-sensei kept us back a year, he didn't think we were ready. He was right."

She smiled, remembering how utterly pissed Neji was and how distraught Lee looked when Gai told them he wasn't going to recommend them to participate. It had stung her, too, but in time she came to appreciate Gai's judgement.

"Ooo, harsh. But you guys made it to chuunin, right?"

"Yeah! We took the exam the year they held it in Kumogakure."

"Nice, I heard that year they had a kid who could drain your chakra just by toucing you."

"Well, yeah, but he couldn't touch Lee, so he lost."

She felt a moment of pride in thinking about how far they'd come. In the chuunin exams in Konoha, Lee had taken quite a beating from Gaara. By the time they took the exams again in Kumogakure, Lee didn't even need to remove his ankle weights to beat his opponent, let alone open his _tenketsu_. She'd ended up fighting a boy who had the misfortune of being a close-ranged fighter, and Neji...Neji practically obliterated his opponent.

"Old bushy brows? Guess he's stronger than he looks. Neji must be a jounin by now."

"He is, actually."

Tenten tried not to let her smile falter, she could sense the next question.

"What about you? Are you still a chuunin, or did you make jounin too?"

"...I retired two years after I became a chuunin. I got married."

His face flashed in mild shock before settling into an easy grin.

"Congratulations then."

The conversation died soon after that and Tanaka hurried off, wishing her luck and prosperity and other things she didn't care about as his back disappeared into the crowd. As much as she wanted to stick out her tongue about that, she had to admit to herself that she couldn't blame him. A warrior's life revolved around killing and training to kill better, since Tenten was no longer a part of that world, they really had nothing in common anymore to speak of. That was the tragedy of retirement - she was too much of a shinobi to relate with civillians, yet too domesticated now to relate to shinobi.

She bit the inside of her lower lip and made her way to the produce section of the village market. What could she make for dinner tonight? Maybe if she bought enough shrimp, she could manage to make two batches of tempura without overcooking it.

* * *

As they neared the village gates Neji allowed his squad to slow and catch their breath. Coming home was always something to be savored because every time you saw Konoha's gates you thought about all the shinobi who never made it back home.

Koyamada beamed and sucked in a deep breath, letting the scents of home flood her lungs.

"Ah~ I can't wait to take a bath! Gonna fill my tub with piping-hot water and just sit in it for an hour or two. Add in some peppermint oil...Hell, I might sleep in it!"

"You'll drown, Komayada-san." Ino countered, though the idea was tremendously appealing.

"It'll be a good death."

Neji let a small smile grace his lips. He didn't favor having two kunoichi for support on this mission, but he was thankful that the three of them at least got along. As they crossed the threshold into the main gates, they greeted Kotetsu and Izumo and Koyamada ran into the waiting arms of her lover. Neji was about to start towards the Hokage tower when Ino stepped in front of him. She didn't look him directly in the face, instead choosing to look at absolutely nothing over his shoulder. She kept her voice low.

"Look, um, I don't say this often, so pay attention okay?"

Her eyes finally found their way to his face before she closed them and made the slightest of bows.

"I'm sorry."

His usual blank stare didn't change.

"What for?"

_For a moment I thought you were going to die and it was awful and it reminded me of Asuma-sensei and I almost quit because I didn't think I could save you._

She smirked up at him, her uneasiness suddenly gone and replaced with her usual bravado.

"Don't worry about what for, just accept the apology. Jeez."

His eyes softened and her smirk became a geniuine smile.

"I'll be more useful next time. Promise."

Before he had the chance to tell her that she _had_ been useful (and an instrumental part of the mission to boot. How else would they have gotten the passwords they'd needed to get access into the most heavily guarded areas?), she was already walking away. He started towards the Hokage's tower again.

* * *

He was already at the front door when Tenten sensed him, and cursed herself for losing her touch. Back in the days of Team Gai, she could sense Neji's chakra from a quarter mile distance. Now she couldn't sense him a block away. Two years had done much to dull her reflexes. She didn't turn away from the kitchen sink to face him as he came through the front door, but she did open her mouth to greet him before shutting it, hearing the light padding of his feet trail to the back of the house. She resisted the urge to sigh. As feared, she'd managed to overcook both batches of tempura, and now she was mincing potatoes for the curry. As much as she loved pointed objects, Tenten hated kitchen knives. They never quite got the weight distribution right, they were no where near the level of sharpness she liked in her blades, and they broke as easily as if they were made of cheap aluminum.

"Curry tonight?"

She tried not to jump at the sudden sensation of an arm draping across her collarbone and another snaking around her waist. Sometimes, she forgot just how fast he was. The cool feel of Neji's cheek against hers calmed her, and she automatically matched her breathing to his.

"Yeah."

"Hold the salt."

His mouth ghosted over her cheek and he moved away from her and down the hall, to the back of the house again. Tenten stopped slicing and looked at her left hand, at her bare ring finger.

Up close, she could smell traces of sweat, blood and _perfume_ on Neji. Tenten did not wear perfume.

She knit her eyebrows and resumed mincing. Sometimes she had to remind herself that he was Konoha's Neji before he was her Neji, and he was a Hyuuga before he was even _Neji_. She barely made the top three on the list of his priorities.

* * *

**(A/N)**: Updates will be incredibly slow, thought I'd be nice and tell you that now, but this is a multichap fic and I have no idea how long it will be. I'll be relatively consistant with chapter lengths. I have a general idea of where I'm going with this and a few key moments, but other than that...I'm going to seriously take my time with this and try to push my writing skills (or lack of) to the limit, I want this to be awesome :D


	2. Chapter 2

**Ricochet**

TenTen was setting a pair of matching bowls on the tabletop when she heard the sound of rushing water abruptly stop. In the briefest of moments her eyes were tugged towards the hallway, where she knew her husband was stepping out of the shower. Her lips tightened at the random realization that they'd never done anything naughty in their own bathroom, but she swept the thought away as quickly as it came and focused on setting the teapot and teacups on the table too. She heard the bathroom door whine when he opened it, and she set spoons and chopsticks beside the bowls. TenTen smiled as she straightened the arrangement and seconds later, silent as death, Neji casually strode down the hall towards her.

His hair was free and damp, clinging to bare shoulders and toned pectorals. A few stubborn beads of water hung at the ends of his hair and TenTen marvelled at the fact that even after two years of marriage, her heart raced whenever she saw him like this. She did notice, however, two small circular scars parallel to each other across on his chest. She resisted the urge to grunt disapprovingly; she knew beyond doubt that these were new, she knew every scar on his body. Given, it wasn't exactly difficult to count all of Neji's scars as he had considerably fewer than the majority of shinobi. This, of course, was because Neji was _practically un-fucking-touchable_.Thankfully Neji had bothered to put on pants though they seemed of little use as they hung low on his hips, threatening noncompliance with every step he took.

TenTen blinked. If she kept studying him so intently, he'd question her on it, so she redirected her attention to one of her other senses, drawing in a deep breath of the hot cloud of air that stubbornly hovered around him. She could mostly smell the lemon scented soap from their bathroom, but under that was the other scent that was masculine and earthy and uniquely his own. She never got tired of that smell.

In the space of those deliciously long fews seconds TenTen oogled her husband, Neji made it to the table and pulled out his chair, sliding into it with smooth, practiced grace. He offered her a light lift of the lips in gratitude for cooking and they both fixed their plates with curry and rice and filled their miso bowls with soup. It was normal for them, to sit in silence like this. A kind of normality that still held on to the vestiges of awkwardness; a familiarity that was slightly less than comfortable. Even after two years of having been married, the atmosphere felt _off_ with the distinct lack of both Gai and Lee's voices chattering exuberently. In the days of Team Gai, Konoha's Green Beasts carried the weight of mealtime conversation while TenTen only occasionally interjected. Neji had been less inclined to participate back then, literally turning his back to them as he ate. Looking at him now, not much had changed.

She supposed it was understandable that she and him had yet to full develop the art of communication between them; after all, to talk to one another you had to first be _around_ one another, right? And Neji had been married to his job long before he had married her. On average he was gone at least sixteen days out of the month, and when he was home, he was usually training. He even packed his own meals before leaving to train, often spending the entire day at the training grounds, so even when he was home they rarely ate together. She had tried once or twice to have a hot meal ready and waiting when he returned home from missions, but TenTen soon learned that the sheer stress of the missions he got assigned to these days left him wanting only three things when he got home: a shower, sex, and sleep. And not necessarily in that order, as he often bypassed the first two and went straight to sleep. (_And the Hyuuga elders wondered why they had yet to conceive an heir. Ha. They hadn't had enough sex for her to get pregnant. Oh, but when she got it...! There was less than nothing to complain about.)_

They had yet to spend a single birthday or anniversary together since their marriage.

Banishing thoughts of their abysmal sex life from her mind, TenTen stuffed a small wad of rice into her mouth with her chopsticks as she watched Neji do the same. He sat with perfect posture, as always, and ate with fluid movements and slight flexes of the wrist; actions much more befitting an aristocrat than a shinobi. Exactly as the Hyuuga clan had raised him. Exactly as the Hyuuga clan expected her to become. TenTen envied his quiet elegance, knowing her own movements to look rushed and unrefined by comparision. She set down her chopsticks momentarily to take a sip from her cup and hide the way she knew her eyebrows were threatening to draw together. She hated these moments, these small snippets in time when she felt inadequate. _Insecure._ It was only by Neji's stone-cold determination that the Hyuuga elders had grudgingly allowed him to marry someone of such _low birth status_ and she knew it. She was a nobody, a first-generation shinobi raised by her grandparents and without so much as a last name. She hated that his family, save for Hinata, thought of her as unworthy of a catch like him.

Most of all, she hated that she agreed.

"How did the mission go?"

She made a half-assed attempt to stir up a conversation between mouthfuls. His pale eyes locked on her immediately and he paused, sparing a thought to his answer.

"Decently. We infiltrated, acquired the intel, covered our tracks and withdrew."

He took a sip of his tea and she watched as the tip of his tongue sought out the traces of it on his bottom lip after he'd set his cup down.

"Did you take any damage?"

He made a slight movement, an almost-shrug as he chewed on curry.

"Minor wounds, nothing grevious."

She was caught between scoffing and genuine amusement as she eyed the tiny scars from across the table. Leave it to Neji to always downplay his injuries. In her active days, she'd seen him receive jagged, uneven wounds that bled _horrifically_ and heard him refer to them as "scratches". The word minor, to Neji, simply meant it wasn't fatal. Of the battle scars he had on his body, TenTen knew four of them were well-placed and intended to kill. Neji may not have been on the receiving end of damage often, but when he was, it was rarely an injury that could be categorized as "minor".

TenTen hummed in acceptance of his answer and continued eating, letting the discussion lull back into silence.

* * *

"So...?"

Black eyes stared into Ino's imploringly, sienna eyebrows above them arching in anticipation. Ino bristled.

"So? So _what_?"

"_So,_ word on the street says that you haven't so much as been on a date in four months."

Ino made a dismissive sound and stabbed at her slice of cake with a fork. She knew no one person was ever safe from being the town's gossip target, but that didn't mean she didn't resent it being her. Even if it was only temporary.

"_And?_"

"_And_ I'm starting to wonder if I should be concerned! You're like one of the prettiest girls in Konoha, it's not right for you to be single."

Ino quirked an eyebrow at her friend. Tachibana Rui was a chuunin and two years younger than her, but she was pretty good company. Usually. Ino huffed indignantly and rolled her eyes.

"No one's caught my interest in a while. I do have standards, you know. I won't just date someone because I'm bored. Besides, I'm focusing on my training right now."

Tachibana snorted, as if that was the biggest lie she'd ever heard.

"Half of Konoha's eligible men would saw off their own foot just to get a date with you! I've even seen a few women stare at you with that adoring look in their eyes. What could your standards possibly be that so few people get a chance?"

Ino finished her cake and set down her fork, opening her palm to count on her fingers as she rattled off her list.

"He must be taller than me, I don't really go for the short ones. Must be a jounin or higher, he definitely can't be weaker than me or a civillian. And he has to be as cute as, or at least almost as cute as, Uchiha Sasuke."

Tachibana stared at her. Ino stared back, her face completely serious.

"Ino, come on!"

Ino shook her head.

"Nope. Those are my standards, I'm not budging."

"Uchiha Sasuke? Wasn't he like the cutest guy in the village before he left? Seriously, who can measure up to that?"

Ino shrugged indifferently, her lips curling smugly.

"Hmm, well, I did hear that he does have an older brother alive, somewhere outside the village. He's supposedly incredibly sexy."

The girl gaped at her.

"Yeah, and I hear he's a _homicidal maniac_. Didn't you hear that part?"

"What, just because he might be crazy doesn't mean he couldn't be devastatingly handsome as well."

"You wouldn't..."

"No, I wouldn't. But I am curious."

Ino smiled as her friend looked like she was going to have a stroke any minute now.

"I'm starting to think you have a thing for the Sharingan."

Tachibana declared, sweeping her bangs out of her face with one hand and sending Ino a look of clear disapproval. Ino looked upward thoughtfully.

"Hmm. Well, I _did_ have a crush on Kakashi-sensei for a little while. That might have something to do with it."

Tachibana fell out of her chair. When she managed to get her bearings and seat herself again, she shook her head, realizing this conversation was going in a direction she didn't quite want to follow. For the sake of sanity, she changed topics.

"What're you doing later on?"

Ino took a swig of her juice and leaned back in her chair.

"I'm thinking I'll stock up on a few things in the market district, then drop by to check on Kurenai-sensei and Asuka-chan."

"Oh, you're not going to the funeral?"

"What funeral?"

"Well, it's not a _real_ funeral since they couldn't get the body, but I heard just this afternoon that there's going to be a ceremony today for..."

* * *

"Neji!"

Ino burst through the Hyuuga's front door with all the ferocity of a wild animal and not a single hint of shame or apology at her incredibly rude intrusion. Her eyes, wide and full of blatant urgency, fell on TenTen as she emerged from the back of the house.

"Ino?"

The name rolled off of her tongue like a question despite her eyes clearly confirming the unexpected visitor. Though TenTen paid little attention to shinobi she hadn't directly worked with, she was certain she had never witnessed the blonde Yamanaka in such a state of...panic? Fury? She couldn't quite place what kind of emotional state the kunoichi was in, but whatever it was, it was intense. Ino's chakra flared so strongly that TenTen distantly wondered if her in-laws would soon come running to assess the situation.

Ino blinked, her mouth setting into a tight lines as her eyes retraced what she could see of the house, as if Neji were actually in the room and she just had yet to notice.

"Where's Neji?"

She hadn't meant for it to come out of her mouth like a demand, but if the slight narrowing of the brunette's eyes were any indication, it did.

"He's not here right now."

Ino frowned. She wasn't known for her patience and she was growing increasingly frustrated.

"Yeah, I see that. I asked where he is."

TenTen's face hardened and she considered making a snappish reply, but thought better of it. She knew Ino was one of the ninjas Neji worked with almost regularly, and despite the blonde's apparent lack of manners, she recognized that there was potentially an important issue at hand.

"I don't know. He left over an hour ago, he's probably training Hinata right now."

Ino was turning on her heel at the sound of Hinata's name.

It wouldn't occur to her until much, much later that this news would affect TenTen as well.

* * *

He didn't need his Byakugan activated to know who was racing towards him, he'd been on enough missions with her by this point that he could easily recognize the chakra signature of one Yamanaka Ino instantly. What he did wonder, vaguely, was how she'd managed to discover that he was in the Forest of Death. Even moreso how she pinpointed his location since she wasn't the Tracker type.

He felt the trunk of the tree vibrate almost unnoticably as she ran up it and counted the seconds until she was standing behind him. She hesitated as she reached him, an uncertainty in her movements suggesting that she didn't know whether to come closer or to stay back. To her credit, she took two steps towards him before she decided that that was the edge of the safety zone.

"You've heard."

Her voice was quiet, quieter than the whisper volume she used on missions. It held a tone of apprehension. And pity. He didn't like it.

"Hn."

He heard her sigh and tentatively step forward until she was directly beside him. Another pause, and then she sat down. It was dark in this area, the canopy of the trees too thick and overgrown to let in more than mere slivers of light. It was hard to tell how long they both sat there, completely still, staring off at nothing at all. He didn't know many hours had passed when she spoke again.

"You should say goodbye to him. It...helps."

For the first time since she'd arrived, Neji turns his head to look at her. His expression is carefully blank but behind behind it he is positively _livid_. He wants to tell her to shut up, that it DOESN'T help and how the hell could it? Nothing could help a dead man and how dare she insinuate otherwise. How dare she make suggestions. But the words die in his throat before they even make it to his lips. _She_ is only trying to help. Neji does not need help. _Children_ need help; Neji is twenty years old and as far as he's concerned, he hasn't been a child for a long, long time.

There is another stretch of silence before Neji shakes his head slowly and smiles. It's not a genuine smile, but more of a self-depreciating sneer at his own words.

"I did not think he could die."

His voice is tense, full of emotions that he will not release as he contemplates the irony. He has killed hundred of men and knows just as well as any other shinobi that mortality is always laying in wait, yet still he cannot shake the old, iron-clad idea that his sensei is above dying. A part of him is still half-certain that, somewhere, Maito Gai has resurrected himself from death out of sheer willpower alone. Konoha's Green Beast cannot possibly die.

Ino makes a sound Neji can't quite identify, and it is a few minutes later when he notices her arm loosely draping across his back, her hand on his shoulder opposite to where she's sitting. He tenses but says nothing. He doesn't cry. She cries for him.

* * *

It was well into the night when Neji made it back to his quarters. His muscles felt fine, absent of the usual burn from rigorous training, but his body felt heavy and less responsive than usual. It almost felt as if his body were foreign to him. He wondered, at length, if grief was different every time a person encountered it. When his father had been executed he'd felt numbness for a long time before his emotions festered and boiled into rage. When the Sandaime Hokage passed, he'd felt mild pity and subdued gratitude for the old man's sacrifice. This was the first time in Neji's life he'd felt denial. He wasn't sure whether or not he was disappointed in himself for being capable of feeling it.

He removed his shoes before he set foot onto the tatami lining their floorboards and walked to his bedroom. Their bedroom. TenTen shifted in the sheets as he paused at the door and felt a tinge of apprehension. Blinking slowly, he entered the room and crossed over to the clothesbasket. He removed his shirt and pants more slowly than usual, and his subconscious accused him of buying time, of _stalling_. In his shorts, Neji finally approached their futon and slid under the covers, turning to face his wife.

"TenTen."

"Hmm?"

He had figured she wasn't asleep yet, but part of him had hoped that she was. He studied her face as her eyes remained closed.

"Gai-sensei is dead."

"_Hmm?_"

He brow furrows and her eyes squint open at this, as if she doesn't trust her ears. The questioning look on her features is tempered by sleepiness and he doesn't doubt that she may think she just imagined what he said.

"Gai-sensei is dead."

Her eyes go wide this time, and he knows that if anyone but him had told her this she'd glare and call them a liar. Her body tenses and she turns over quickly so he won't see how her eyes are already welling with tears, but they both know he's seen it anyway. She doesn't like him to see her cry. She moves closer to the edge of the futon and muffles her cries into the pillow. Neji speculates then on who's more messed up; himself, who can't cry, or her, who cries hard both from grief and from the shame of crying. He watches her until she falls asleep.

* * *

**A / N : Damn it's hard creating a personality for TenTen. I swear, in cannon she's just as dull as a ricecake. And if you don't like the beginning of this chapter or the flow feels strange or something, I apologize. I had half of the of the chapter done over a week ago and right when I was going to save, I got an error message and lost everything. I RAGED, and it took me a while to jump back into the writing groove.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Ricochet**

It was obscenely early in the morning when Neji and TenTen rose from bed. Beyond their curtained windows light was just beginning to spread over the horizion, hinting at the sun's slow approach in spite of a few twinkling stars still stubbornly spotting the sky. Normal people would still be asleep at this hour, but Neji and TenTen were not normal, and this would not be a normal day. The pair made short work of their morning routines, making themselves look presentable, and quietly slipped through the front door together. Side by side they kept a steady pace, neither wanting to rush to their destination nor to drag out the journey. Every step was a memory. Every step was a small victory. Every step was laced with pain.

They did not speak to each other; they didn't need to. Nothing they could say to each other would change anything. There were no words, no tears, no anger. Just a steady, careful determination. Stare straight ahead, don't think.

It was almost like marching. If Maito Gai had been given a funeral procession, this was how it would have looked.

They came to a hault, finally, their destination reached. The smooth marble surface reflectled the faint sunlight on their faces. There, on the stone before them, below hundreds of names of brave shinobi whose sacrifices had faded away into obscurity, was the freshly carved name _Maito Gai_. At the base of the stone were over a thousand neatly lined smooth pebbles, most likely from a river.

_One for every day they'd been Team Gai._

Rock Lee had already come to pay his respects, it seemed. Hesistantly, as if not sure if it might burn her, TenTen outstretched a hand and let her fingers trail lightly over the grooves of his name before letting her hand drop back at her side. Neji is not sure he even sees the name carved there, not really, even though he knows it's there. He wonders how long it'll be before he can see it. Just one line above the place his sensei's name _should be_ (because it's not there, if Neji can't see it then it's not there, there's nothing his eyes can't see) are those of _Densetsu no Jiraiya_ and _Sarutobi Asuma_. Further up is _Hyuuga Hizashi_. He has never come to this stone before, but he decides right now that he hates it and that he will never visit it again.

TenTen kneels in front of it and he hates that he sees her reflection on it now. His jaw tightens and his eyes develop an aversion to the stone, seeking solace in all directions before he simply settles for staring at the rising sun. It brings sharp pains to his pupils as it peaks over the edge of the world and he keeps staring because maybe, _just maybe_, if he stares long enough he'll really go blind. He knows he won't.

They leave two hours later when a certain silver-haired jounin shows up.

* * *

It's early, but not too early when Ino rolls out of bed. As she rises with a full body stretch and inhales deeply, it strikes her that her throat is still somewhat sore from yesterday's crying, and with two fingers on her neck she quickly alleviates the mild pain. She yawns, shaking off the sleepiness, and gets ready for the day. Her feet make light taps on wood as she gracefully descends two flights of stairs, down to the family florist shop below their home. She almost goes straight out the front door but catches herself, backtracking to let her eyes roam over their stock, searching. She finds the bunch she wants and carefully nestles them in the crook of her arm and her bust as she heads for the door again.

After a quick pit stop her hands are free again, and Ino finally makes it to the place she'd intended to visit the day before. She knocks on the door and listens to the sound of movement on the other side.

"Just a minute! _Asuka, NO!_ I'll be right there!"

Ino smiled to herself as she listened to the scuffle and in seconds the door opens in a rush, revealing a very frazzled Kurenai. Her inky black hair looked just as touseled as always but her face was unmade, absent of the eyeshadow and lipstick she was infamous for. Her ruby red eyes spoke volumes of both fatigue and contentness. There was a splotch of juice towards the middle of her shirt. She returned Ino's smile.

"Oh, thank goodness you're here! It's really something trying to get a toddler up, you know?"

She pulled the door open wider in invitation and Ino slipped in, kindly disregarding the apartment's state of disarray and instead focusing on the small form propped up atop three thick books to sit at the table. A mess of black hair shifted and gave way to hauntingly familiar little brown eyes. A messy mouth spread into an easy grin between cheeks still full of baby fat.

"Auntie Ino!"

Her little body began squirming, struggling to get down to greet the visitor. Ino saves her the trouble and comes to her side, enveloping her in a hug. She hopes the gesture is even half as comforting and protective as the hugs she used to get from Asuma. He'd never hugged Shikamaru or Chouji, said it was "gay", but he always was a softy for a girl in tears. She'd accumulated at least a dozen hugs in the heyday of Team 10 and she was going to pay them back now, with interest. When this girl finally became old enough to train under Shikamaru, she would make him hug her too. Konoha had taken both her grandfather and her father, they owed her at least that.

"Heya kiddo."

"Didja come ta play with me?"

"Of course I did!"

Ino helped Asuka out of her chair and onto the floor. Before the youngest Sarutobi even got a chance to suggest a game, Kurenai directed her to the bathroom to clean up first. Ino watched their backs, a wistful emotion painted across her face. Kurenai Yuuhi would once again become Kurenai-sensei in six months, when her maternity leave timed out. She hoped the two of them continued to enjoy this time while it lasted, all too soon that little girl was going to find out that a _kunoichi_ was not exactly a stay at home job. Still, Asuka was a very lucky girl. She had Team 10 to teach her, Team 8 had promised to babysit her, and Konohamaru had promised to protect his little cousin. No matter what the future had in store, this child would know that she was loved.

* * *

He found Rock Lee easily enough, the little Green Beast being every bit as predictable as a clock. Neji knew that Lee always woke up an hour before the birds sang, did his morning calesthetics at home, and would be at Team Gai's old training grounds by the time morning had established itself. It didn't matter to Lee if he trained alone or competed against someone else: as surely as the sun rose in the east, if Lee was in a functioning condition he was going to train. At least, as long as Lee was in _physical_ functioning condition, he never gave a damn about his own mental functioning. (As was made obvious by his glaring symptoms of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder) And that was why Neji came. Team Gai had been many things - ambitious, overzealous, eclectic - but never unstable. They weren't going to start now.

Lee noticed Neji on the edges of his peripheral vision and turned to greet him as the pale eyed shinobi took a seat on a large tree stump.

"Neji, my rival! Have you come to accept my challenge of doing 300 sommersaults around the academy?"

He beamed at him with a smile ninjas their age should no longer be capable of.

"No."

"That is a pity! But I shall enjoy your coming to visit me this morning!"

Neji said nothing. Something about Lee was...off. If he didn't know better, he'd say Lee wasn't quite at the full volume he usually spoke in, like he was he wasn't as full of energy as he usually was. If he didn't know better (not that he wanted to notice), he'd say that the green jumpsuit didn't cling as tightly, like a second skin, like it used to.

"Lee, have you eaten?"

Rock Lee stretched himself overtop the ground and started on a round of push-ups.

"No. I shall not eat for the next 32 days in honor of Gai-sensei!"

"Lee, you must eat."

Neji stared at his comrade, the slightest hints of concern hidden in the depths of his eyes. Lee continued his push-ups, undeterred.

"Absolutely not. I must fast for 32 days. One day for every year our sensei-"

Neji cut him off and tried not to become annoyed. Truthfully, he'd expected Lee to go to some sort of extreme, to perform some showy stunt in dedication to Gai. It would have been disturbing if Lee had _not_ made some completely ridiculous declaration, but this...this small turn down a road of self-destruction, this he would not allow. Lee could find some other way to grieve.

"If you cease eating, you will lose strength and then you will be weakened and unable to train. Is this something Gai-sensei would have approved of?"

It was a very manipulative way to go about stopping Lee, but Neji didn't feel any guilt. Over the years he'd come to learn that only verbal manipulation could override Gai and Lee's sheer stubbornness.

At the mention of Gai's name Lee's body goes rigid, his eyes bugging and mouth opening in shock as if Neji had told him that Sakura is actually a crossdressing boy. In a fraction of a second he sprung to his feet and slipped into one of the many poses taught to him by Gai.

"You are absolutely right, Neji! How could I have possibly considered doing something to wither my sparkingly youth?"

Lee's bottom lip quivered and his eyes teared up practially on command.

"Gai-sensei must be so disappointed! I must eat 100 vegetables to earn his forgiveness!"

Neji fixed him with an unenthusiastic stare despite feeling a sense of relief. He would never let Rock Lee know that he had worried about him, even if only for a second. NEVER.

"Neji, I must thank you for-"

"No."

"Then I will-"

"No."

Lee shifted into the Nice Guy pose and flashed his trademark smile, _ping_ and all.

"Very well, comrade! Then I must go now and fufill my task for Gai-sensei's forgiveness! Thank you for your help!"

"Hn."

Lee sped away from the training grounds, heading straight for Konoha's produce vendors. Neji, good deed done, looked after him for a second before turning and walking home. As he neared the Hyuuga compund, he searched for traces of TenTen's chakra and was faintly surprised she hadn't beat him home. Unfazed, his eyes narrowed as he reached the edge of the walkway leading to his front door. Something was laying in a heap at his front door. He kept his leisurely pace and bent down to inspect the item when he reached it.

Poppies. A small bundle of red poppies.

Without realizing it, he smiled. There was no card, and none was needed.

* * *

TenTen paused, eyes locked on the vision before her, and she could not stop herself from leaning nearer to the glass. In the shop display window, shiney new _tonfa_ gleamed under the shop lights and swords shone their brilliant, razor sharp edges that promised even to slice through reasoning if it stood against them. TenTen's lips parted as she gazed adoringly over the merchandise. Her hands itched for a demonstration of such masterfully crafted weapons; craved the feel of the smooth, cool steel and the lightness in her grip just as much as her ears ached to hear the blade sing as it swung through the air. They would make such beautiful music together.

She remembered the first time she did this; the first time she stood in front of this shop, eyes full of admiration and wonder. She was nine and not yet a gennin, much to her dismay no matter how many people told her that was normal. TenTen didn't want to be normal, she'd wanted to be _legendary_, and her mediocre skills in ninjutsu, genjutsu, and even taijutsu were implying that she wasn't getting any closer to that dream. Not to be defeated by mediocrity, she'd decided she needed an edge, a specialty to push her further. That was when she found this nice little blacksmith shop, seamlessly blended into the heart of Konoha's shopping district. The first time she held her own custom made weapon in her tiny innocent hands she no longer felt like she was the Plainest Jane you ever saw, ordinary at best in both looks and skills. The first time she held that first dagger, for the very first time in her life TenTen had felt _powerful_. She felt like she was in control of something for once. Others might have kekkei genkai or massive amounts of stamina or chakra but she had finally found her niche. In this one area, TenTen could shine brighter than all others. And thus her collection begun.

Now, new weapons lined the windows for the public to see, untouched and dazzling in all their perfection. And here she stood before them; not legendary, but a has-been. Maybe a _never-was_; she hadn't even made jounin when she retired. She'd been a chuunin, a mid-level ninja. Middle rank. Mediocre.

Damn the Hyuuga clan's stupid rules about wives working. Damn them to the fiery pits of hell.

With a sigh, she grudgingly walked away.

* * *

It was well into the afternoon when Kurenai put her daughter down for her afternoon naptime and Ino seized the opportunity to slip away. Playing with a two year old wore her out far more than she'd expected and she made a mental note to visit them more than twice a month. The bell jingled as she opened the door to her family's shop and breezed inside, breathing in the comforting scent of many, many flowers joined together in one fragrance. She loved the smell of home. Tossing a greeting at her mother, Ino hurried up both flights of stairs and entered her room. She clumsily dropped her weight onto her bed and simultaneously pulled the tie out of her hair with one hand. Asuka, bless her little heart, had pulled on her blonde tresses a number of times during her visit and the ponytail had become painfully tight. After a moment, she flopped onto her back and gazed at her ceiling, contemplating if maybe she too needed a nap now. Downstairs, she faintly heard the bell signal another patron to their shop. She ignored it, closing her eyes and deciding to go ahead and snooze. Seconds later, her eyes flew open. For the briefest of moments, she'd felt another chakra signature near her, but with her guard down she hadn't had a chance to identify it. A frown crossing her features, Ino tried to mentally dismiss it as probably belonging to someone just speeding by on the rooftops. It didn't work. For peace of mind's sake, she sat up and glanced at her window.

On the other side of her windowsill was a single pink rose.

Ino is startled when she sees it, and that's saying something because hardly anything has the power to startle her anymore. She turns over onto her knees and reaches up to open her window and retrieve the lone flower. Running her fingers around its perimeter, she brings it to her face and takes a deep whiff. It is not from downstairs, that much she can tell from the scent. Then she smiles because she doesn't remember seeing flowers near his house and wonders where he found this perfect bloom. She doesn't particularly remember him paying that much attention the last time she was rambling about flowers, but now she thinks he may be listening more than he lets on.

Ino was clearing a spot for it on her dresser when she sensed another presence in the room. She tried not to let her smile falter when it's Shizune's small form crouching in the window that her eyes land on.

"Lady Hokage wishes to see you right now."

Ino nodded and Tsunade's apprentice disappeared in a small puff of smoke. Her hand delicately set the rose in front of her mirror and she turned, running down the stairs yet again. The hospital wasn't very full last she heard, so she assumed she was being summoned to be assigned a mission. She said a goodbye over her shoulder as she raced past her mother and broke into a full sprint once she was outside. If she was right about being called for a mission, this was going to be number 75. So far, she had a failure rate of 5. Ino hoped it stayed that way.

* * *

There is a fresh bunch of poppies in a vase on the dining room table when TenTen gets home. He has never bought her flowers before, not even when they were dating. She eyes them curiously, but doesn't ask for an explaination. Neji doesn't offer one.

_TenTen _never _questions him. And maybe, just maybe, that's a problem._

* * *

**A /N: Is it narcisstic to say that I am impressed with my own lack of TenTen bashing? I want you to sympathize for her, but not enough to root for her. Haha xD No really, there might be a little bit of self-discovery in it for her, just not enough to overshadow Ino. And FYI poppies mean condolences/consolation and a pink rose symbolizes appreciation and thanks, that's how Ino automatically knows the rose is from Neji. One more note: yeah, I notice that I switch a lot between present and past tense, does that bother you guys? I really don't know why I do it but lately it's become a habit. I'll try to keep it under control.**


	4. Chapter 4

**Ricochet**

_Employer: Horikawa Emiko_

_Target: Mizushima Noriko_

_Location: Northeastern side of Fire Country, Kanazuma District_

_Length: Undetermined_

_Type: Escort, Retrival_

_Rank: B_

_Mortality Prediction: 48%_

_Notes: The client requests absolute protection of the target until the arrival of the package. Once the package arrives, the target is to be relocated. In the case of interference, the target is to be disposed of._

Blue orbs roamed over the mission scroll and a tongue darted out to wet dried lips. She re-read the enitre thing once, twice, thrice, her gaze inevitably shifting back to one word: undetermined. It was Ino's least favorite term to spot on a mission scoll. Undetermined could mean one week or one month, could mean the difference between saying "See ya later" and saying "Goodbye". Still, the mission _was _in Fire Country and Ino found herself grateful for that. If she was going to be stuck somewhere for a long stretch of time then at least she wouldn't be far from home. With a nod of understanding, she swiftly rolled up the parchment and slipped it into her weapons pouch. She was about to ask about how much time she had to prepare before departure when another body appeared in the room amidst swirls of black.

"Hokage-sama."

He made a curt bow, muscles flexing under alabaster skin, face schooled into it's usual infuriating imitation of a smile. Mocking her. He looked too much like Sasuke and the Uchiha had never smiled like that. Stupid look-alike with his fake cheerfulness. Good-looking as he might be, Ino didn't trust him.

"You're late.", the female Hokage stated pointedly, resting her chin on a fist.

"Apologies, Hokage-sama."

He turned his head to the younger blonde and Ino was careful not to frown at him.

"Hey beautiful."

At that, she flushed, light pink dusting across her cheeks. It wasn't the adjective; she'd been called pretty, beautiful, gorgeous, and everything in between countless times. It was the fact that it was coming from _him_. Despite her keen ability to read people, when it came to Sai she was never entirely sure if he was being genuine or not. After all, how could a person have an opinion when they barely had any emotions? And if Sakura's word was anything to go on, Sai was full of lies and trickery.

"...Hi."

"If we're through with the introductions now, Sai, Ino has the scroll briefing you on the details of this mission. Ino, Sai will be your team captain for the duration of this mission. It's rather simple, so I doubt you need much time for preparations. I have selected the two of you specifically for your abilities and strengths and I expect a flawless report when you return. You will be leaving at 2100 hours sharp. Are there any questions?"

Tsunade studied the pair sternly, appraising her choice. Sai, she knew, could handle this mission easily, perhaps even in his sleep. She had chosen him purposely for his good judgement and proficiency in his skills. Ino, however, was chosen for completely different reasons. The young Yamanaka was one of her better chuunins, but she had been hand picked for both her kekkei genkai and her looks. Given the mission parameters, Ino would provide complementary backup : her mental abilities could prove useful if extra measures in stealth were needed and her looks would be advantageous if a distraction was needed. The employer was even paying well enough that she could afford to send two shinobi, so in the Godaime's eyes it was win-win.

"No."

"No."

"Good. Dismissed."

Ino and Sai bowed and took their leave, walking alongside each other in the hallway. Ino pulled the scroll out and handed it to Sai. Why had she thought she was going to get her first solo mission today? Of course she would need a team, or at least one partner, the Shintenshin practically _demanded_ it. To leave oneself unguarded while occupying another body was just plain stupid. Her father hadn't even solo'd a mission until he was 28, what had made her think-

No. She wasn't going to even let that thought finish itself, all that would lead to was self-pity and envying others. She was Yamanaka Ino, damnit! Number one kunoichi graduate of her year. So she was a little reliant on support, at least she wasn't _totally_ useless outside of her intermediate medical skills or InoShikaCho, being paired with Sai for this mission proved that, didn't it? May the Bijuu be damned if she was going to go through her life needing help, using the freaking buddy system. This was an opprotunity, perhaps the perfect opprotunity, to show that she could handle things without a protector. To make people take her seriously. Maybe it was time to try _that_ jutsu.

"Sounds boring."

"Hmm?"

Ino snapped out of her thoughts and noticed that they had reached the first floor of the Hokage Tower and were heading towards the doors. She'd spaced out the whole time they came down the stairs.

"But you'll be the first kunoichi I've worked with other than Ugly, so I guess this is a good thing."

The blonde narrowed her eyes at him. What was that supposed to mean, he _guessed_ this was a good thing? Was he implying that being partnered with her wasn't a good thing? Did he really have to _guess_? Or did that statement have other implications, given that he considered Sakura unattractive? Was he pleased to be working with someone he called beautiful? What, did he actually think he had some semblence of a chance with her? _Ha_.

"Yeah, whatever. I'll meet you at the Southern gates when it's time. Later."

She cooly ended the conversation and walked off, a part of her mind wondering if she'd been just a tad too frigid. She remembered the other nickname he'd given Sakura, and Ino would rather be called Beautiful than Bitchy any day. Sai and his stupid nicknames. Ino didn't understand why Tsunade couldn't have just assigned her to Neji like usual.

Or maybe that was the problem.

Maybe she was getting too accustomed to the Hyuuga, too dependent on his strategies and commands and that's why Tsunade had decided to stick her, indefinitely, with yet another stoic bastard for a partner.

_Is this what it would have been like with Sasuke, if he had stayed in Konoha? If I'd had the chance to be his partner?_

Ino shook her head, shaking away the pointless thought. She would NOT think about Sasuke. He was gone and he was never coming back and she was determined to delete him from her mind. He didn't deserve her thoughts.

_First love never blooms_. Her mother had told her that in a soft voice, shampooing six year old Ino's hair as she sat in the tub, chattering away about a cute boy in her class named Uchiha Sasuke. Ino had quieted when she heard her, then turned around to face her mother, confusion written all over her face. _Whaddya mean, 'kaa-san? You said all things that grow bloom eventually. You told me so, I remember!_ Her mother had simply smiled a mysterious little smile that Ino wouldn't be able to decipher until years later. _This is different, Ino. When it comes to love, the rules don't apply._ Ino cocked her head to the side. _But...then isn't that a rule too?_ Her mother had only smiled again.

She hated it when her mother was right.

* * *

Well, this had to be one of the most humbling days of TenTen's life. Of all the things the former Weapons Mistress was capable of - hitting a target from hundreds of yards away, raining death on enemies in the form of cold steel, impaling someone with enough precision to _not_ kill and keep them alive for information - properly dressing herself in a multilayered formal _furisode_ did not make her list. She had tried her best, honestly she had, but somewhere between the third layer of the garment and attempting to tie the _obi_ she had gone horribly, horribly wrong. Worse still, she'd had to admit defeat and ask for help. The fact that Naiya, a Hyuuga female several years her junior, and Hanabi, pride of the Main household, were the ones who responded to her admission of incompetence caused what was left of her deflated pride to wither away into dust and scatter.

TenTen stood stiffly as the two women tended to her, tugging and pulling and unravelling things to correct her mistakes, and tried not to show how shamed she felt. The kimono they were redressing her in was grand; a shimmering sienna colored silk with lavish embroidery depicting autumn leaves and trees that only got more fascinating towards the hemline. It could have easily been cut and framed as a panoramic picture. For five generations it had been in the Hyuuga family, and now it was hers. It likely costed more money than TenTen had made in her entire life and she didn't even know how to put it on properly.

But here she was, one of the biggest tomboys Konoha ever raised, getting waited on by younger, single women as if they were her servants and she were a noble. The irony. Still, TenTen felt gracious for such a strong sign of respect on their behalf. Even if it was only from Neji's influence. In another life, if she had not been an orphan, would she have still chosen the path of a kunoichi? Would she have become like the figure relfected in the mirror before her, a lady married into a clan of status, living a life of luxury?

She looked at her hair, her signature double buns currently surrounded by small golden hairsticks and charms, and she felt like an imposter. TenTen, with her tanned skin and boyish shape and scarred hands did not deserve gold and silks. Did not deserve to be waited on. Did not deserve the recognition she had not fought for. She had always wanted to _be somebody_ but this...this felt wrong. Stolen.

A lie.

"Nee-san."

The girls were finished and TenTen looked herself over. The woman staring back at her in the mirror was probably her grandmother's dream come true. TenTen could barely recognize herself.

_Is this me?_

She stared, dumbstruck for a few fleeting seconds before thanking Hanabi and Naiya for their help and following them out of the room, down the corridors, and into the large room where many of the clan were gathered in honor of Hiashi's wife's birthday. Quickly, she found her husband and settled beside him. Feigning attention to the front of the room for a few moments, TenTen soon let her gaze drift over Neji, studying his profile. He seemed engrossed in what was being said, and her mouth curved up at the edges at how perfect his formal kimono looked on him.

A minute later, with a strong pang of guilt, it dawned on TenTen that for formal occasions it was customary for Hyuuga wives to dress their husbands.

She'd forgotten, and instantly she knew that _he knew_ she had forgotten. And he wasn't upset, didn't chastise her and didn't blame her at all. Maybe he hadn't even expected her to remember. It wasn't her fault, she wasn't born into a clan of status. This world wasn't hers. This wasn't who _she_ was.

She was an imposter.

* * *

"I mean it, Shikamaru! Open this door right now, or I swear I'll knock it down!"

Ino swore she heard the sound of the lazy nin sucking his teeth before the door gently cracked open. He stood before her in a mesh shirt and knee shorts, his bushy hair uncombed and free of bondage, tired eyes almost looking through her instead of at her.

"It's unlocked, woman. Next time try the handle first."

He moved to the side in a silent invitation for her to come in, but Ino stayed rooted to her spot.

"Un-uh. This isn't a social call, Shika. Put some clothes on, you're gonna help me train."

To his credit, Shikamaru managed to resist rolling his eyes.

"_Mendokuse._ I'm already dressed if you're just going to train. Can't I just go like this?"

He knew it was a lost cause but he had to at least try to put up a fight, if only for his reputation's sake.

"Hell no. I refuse to be seen with you looking like that. And didn't I tell you to cut your hair? It's touching your shoulders."

Somewhere between "hell" and "no", her lanky teammate had drifted away from the door, disappearing into the dark shadows of his apartment. When he reappeared seconds later only having thrown on a Tshirt over the mesh and shoes on his feet, Ino huffed. Pulling a band off of his wrist, his arms stretched behind him as he worked his hair into its usual ponytail.

"It's this or nothing. Take it or leave it."

Ino made a face showing him _exactly_ how displeased she was with the offer, but in the end simply yanked him along by the arm behind her as they headed for the Akimichi residence. Rounding up Chouji went fairly smoother, all it took was the promise of chocolate chip cookies and Chouji was game. Team 10 made it to their old training grounds in no time. Shikamaru prepared to sit down when Ino stopped him.

"Oh no you don't. We're not playing Catch the Blonde today, I need you standing."

With a look, Shikamaru shuffled back over to their pudgy friend muttering something that sounded suspiciously like "Troublesome". The red head looked at the blonde.

"What _are_ we playing then, Ino?"

Ino smirked and both boys gulped. Nothing good came when Ino smirked like that. Ino propped a hand on her hip confidently.

"The name of the game is Zombie Nation! I'm gonna hijack the both of you and see how long you two last."

Shikamaru frowned. He had wondered when Ino was finally going to get around to attempting her father's favorite variation of the Shintenshin, though he knew this test run was likely more of a measure for how long _she_ could last than the both of them. The true measure of a mindwalker's strength wasn't in how long they could hold a possession jutsu, Ino could hold hers for hours already and he'd heard that Inoichi could hold his for nearly a day. What really set apart a talented Yamanaka from others was the number of minds one could control at one time. A multi-possession technique was the next logical step for shinobi like Ino, who specialized in stealth and infiltration. He'd heard a rumor once that back during the First Great Shinobi War a small group of Yamanakas had wiped out half of an army and left the other half either brain dead or thinking they were newborn kittens. The clan of blondes were not ninja to be taken lightly.

"I want you to fight it with everything you have, okay? Ready?"

Ino set her hands into a seal neither of the boys recognized.

"Shinranshin no Jutsu!"

The trio stilled, the two boys adjusting to the feel of Ino's chakra coursing through them. Ino curled and uncurled a hand reflexively, testing. Shikamaru and Chouji were forced to mimic, Shikamaru looking decidedly unimpressed. Chouji, unfortunately, chose that moment to say something he shouldn't have.

"Your new jutsu's practically the same as Shikamaru's."

Instantly, Ino's eyes narrowed. Without warning, Chouji punched himself in the face. Ino smirked.

"Not exactly. This isn't a game of reflection like the Kagemane,"

Shikamaru shot her a look in defence of his clan's jutsu.

"I don't have to have you copy me, I can make you do whatever I want without any drawbacks."

Shikamaru twirled in a circle, against his will. Chouji laughed until he cried.

"I know where you live."

Came a threat from the shadow user. Ino grinned.

"Yeah, yeah. Keep fighting it, I don't feel any resistance and I don't know if it's because I'm just that good or if you're just that lazy."

Before he could retort, Ino had the pair dashing away towards the edge of the trees. Just past halfway there Ino felt her control snap and instantly the two stopped running. Shikamaru turned around, shifting his weight onto one foot.

"Your limit is five hundred meters."

Ino nodded, disappointed. She could cast a Shintenshin from almost twice that. Chouji and Shikamaru jogged back and Ino straightened her posture, determination taking over.

"Allright, this round let's go for time!"

* * *

At the conclusion of Lady Hanako Hyuuga's birthday gathering, Neji found himself seated on one of the back decks of the compound, in the company of none other than his uncle. The elder was aging gracefully but aging none the less with streaks of gray peppering his midnight locks and fine lines settling around a mouth that had never publicly smiled. Even the edges of his pearly white eyes were slowly tinting a light blue in the telltale first signs of cataracts. It was by sheer luck alone that Hiashi managed to remain unafflicted by arthritis. Looking at his father's twin, Neji pondered if this was what the future held for him as well. Hiashi stared up at the darkening sky with a closed expression.

"I have only daughters."

The smooth baritone of his voice cutting the silence almost catches him off guard. He keeps his silence and slowly his uncles eyes lower from the sky and settle on him.

"The closest I will ever have to a son is you."

After all of these years, Neji is unsure if that is a backhanded compliment or not. But whether there is an insult tucked inside the statement or not, Neji can see the sincerity in Hiashi's eyes. Whichever it is that he means, he _means it._ He waits paitently for the older man to continue.

"Hinata will be my successor, this will not change, but"

He paused dramatically, eyes flickering away from him and then back in a manner that Neji couldn't place.

"That is only the next generation, your generation. Beyond that, the direction of the clan is not yet set in stone."

Neji tensed, his mind kicking into overdrive as he tried to read into what he was being told. He chose his words carefully, as carefully as a deer would choose its steps over a frozen pond.

"Are there not plans?"

Hiashi's brow twitched and his mouth hardened just slightly. Was that disappointment Neji saw?

"There are...rules."

The younger Hyuuga nodded, listening.

"And there are ways around the rules."

He couldn't hide the shock that hit then, staring disbelievingly at the head of his clan. This was not something he'd ever expected the man to say; the Hyuuga did not go against rules.

Seeing his nephew's loss for words, Hiashi closed his eyes and continued.

"You have wed, Hinata has not. If you were to produce an heir before her..."

"You are saying-"

"Your child could belong to the Main house, if you wanted."

Neji's heart thundered in his chest and ears. His mouth went dry. Hiashi, whom he had hated for the bulk of his childhood, was offering him freedom. Not for him, it was too late for him, but for his future children. Freedom from the cursed seal.

"Why are you telling me this?"

The elder opened his eyes again.

"Because there must always be an heir, Neji."

The words echoed in his ears long after his uncle stood up and left.

* * *

**A/N: Moar Ino, 'cause this is a NejIno y'know. **


	5. Chapter 5

**Ricochet**

_Protocol dictates to stop the bleeding first. To comfortably stop the bleeding, I'd have to get her arm free. Or cut it off. If I try to remove the arm from the trap, there's the risk of bloodclots. If she gets a bloodclot in her brain or heart while the baby's still in her womb it's Game Over. Maybe it's best to try and have her deliver quickly?_

Ino dug through her weapons pouch until her fingers came across a small, round object. Quickly plucking it out, she pressed it to Noriko's lips.

"Eat. It's a blood pill, it'll replenish some of your hemoglobin."

The woman obliged her and Ino spared another glance at her arm, wanting to touch it but not really trusting herself to be gentle enough for a close inspection.

"Is it a sharp pain or a dull pain? Do you feel faint?"

Noriko shook her head. She was a little breathless, Ino noted, and lightly sweating.

"No. At first there was a really intense pain, but I don't feel it now."

Ino nodded. She was probably having an adrenaline rush, that was good, mostly because she had nothing to give the poor woman for pain. Ino bit her bottom lip, then moved down the side of Noriko's body. Sure enough, her water had already broken.

"Okay Noriko-san, I need you to bend your knees so I can check how far dialated you are."

Noriko obeyed and Ino moved to the bottom of her feet, silently cursing Midwife's premature demise. All Ino knew about delivery was the bits and pieces of information the nurses shouted that carried into the hallways of the hospital. She could only do her best here, and hope that would be enough.

Nervously, Ino lifted Noriko's skirt to the top of her knees.

"Could you...?"

She motioned for her to part her thighs more and Noriko complied. The blonde frowned; she didn't see anything. That couldn't be a good sign. Noriko screamed again, and Ino realized that she should probably time the contractions, but even as she sat there and lamented over her misfortune, in the back of her mind her intuition warned that this was an unprotected area and that enemies could strike at any minute. She wished for walls, water, Shizune, _anything_. Anything for this not to end badly, and she had the sneaking suspicion that that's the way things were quickly headed.

"I need you to push, hard as you can. Ready?"

Noriko grit her teeth and pushed, making a sound somewhere between a wail and a roar. A shiver ran down Ino's spine and she felt bad that she couldn't offer her anything more than words for comfort. Nothing looked any different _down there_, but she tried to reassure the woman with a small smile.

"You're doing great. How do you feel? Is your head fuzzy? Heart racing?"

Noriko shook her head and Ino sighed in relief. Two minutes later, Ino asked her to push again.

Ten minutes in, Ino started to worry. She knew it was common sometimes for labor to go on for hours, but they didn't _have_ hours to spare. _Noriko_ didn't have hours to spare. Ino watched as with each push, her volume dropped a notch and her face looked more drawn. Her adrenaline rush would be completely gone soon, and then it would be all Ino could do just to keep her conscious and her heartrate steady. Ino fed her another blood pill and rubbed her ankle with her thumb.

"This next one, I need you to push with everything you have. Like, realllllly push until you can't anymore, okay?"

She got a nod in response, though Ino suspected she would've received that same answer no matter what she had said.

"3...2...1. Push!"

Noriko made a strangled noise in her throat and pushed. Ino prayed. Then, slowly, she could see something start to come out.

"I can see it! I can see it! Keep going, the baby's coming out."

Noriko heaved and gasped for air. Ino patted her foot.

"Come on, just a few more pushes."

She pushed again, and Ino's excitement turned to dread as she recognized that the baby was coming feet first.

_A breeched birth? _

She put a hand on her forehead and tried not to panic. This was wrong, this was very wrong. She didn't know what made it so dangerous, but she did know that the hospital nurses had gone into a frenzy the one time she'd heard of a baby coming feet first instead of head first. Ino moved to grab Noriko by the wrist and read her pulse. Her blood pressure had already dipped dangerously low.

"Am I...going to die?"

Startled, Ino met Noriko's eyes and tried to tell her _No, of course you won't. I'm here, remember?_ but the words wouldn't come out, she knew it to be a lie. The best she could give was a _Maybe_, and nobody wanted to hear "maybe" as an answer to that question.

"...I can save your child, but..."

"It's too late for me?" Noriko finished, voice straining to be heard. Ino dug her nails into the palms of her own hands with tight fists.

"No. I could save you, but...your baby won't be able to come out the natural way. To save your child, I'd have to cut you, and I don't have... If you weren't pregnant-"

"I see." Noriko held a hand up, she didn't need to hear any more. "Save my child."

Ino hesistated, then fixed her hands into a seal. The least she could do was put her in a nice genjutsu before making the cut that would seal her fate. When Noriko's eyes clouded over, Ino reached and pulled a kunai from her thigh holster. Then she popped the buttons at the top of her skirt and unwrapped it from her waist, leaving her lower half clad in her black shorts. She set the material aside and positioned her hand over Noriko's stomach. Holding her breath, Ino pressed the kunai into the skin and made a long, shallow cut from bellybutton to pelvis.

_Yellow layer. Fat._

She re-traced the cut with more pressure. Fluid wept out, and she pushed the sides of the incision open before sticking a hand in to feel for the baby. She tried not think about the fact that her hand was _inside someone's body_ and focused. There! Towards the left she felt something different. Ino reached in with her other hand and lifted the tiny infant out.

_It's a boy._

Balancing the newborn on her hand and forearm aganist her chest, Ino used her other hand to wrap her skirt around the bundle. That done, she cut the umbilical cord and glanced at Noriko's face. The young woman had passed on already, without having held or named her son, and Ino almost cried for her. Softly she turned the little boy over and stood up, patting his back to clear his lungs. He cried, and she wished his mother could hear it. At the very least, she wished she could give her a proper burial, but she knew she didn't have time for that. Maybe when they completed the mission, she and Sai would have a chance to bury the dead, for now, she would-

The sudden, forceful impact of something large crashing into her back sent Ino's slight form flying forward and she remembered just in time to twist and land on her back, for the baby's sake. The back of her head collided with a headstone and she hissed in pain. Seven people emerged from the trees and bushes and Ino sat up, one hand bracing her weight on the ground, the other gently holding the screaming infant. Two of the people drew dull knives from their clothes and advanced towards her. Ino took her weight off of her supporting arm and put her hand into a seal.

"Shinranshin no Jutsu!"

* * *

In the space of twenty minutes, Sai had managed to put an end to a group of attackers almost the size of a small army with just his tanto's blade and was even able to keep Yellow Teeth alive. As the last few bodies hit the ground he paused and listened for a second wave of attackers. Pure silence sat in the air, and after a minute, Sai sheathed his blade. Looking over at Yellow Teeth, he appeared to have more injuries than Sai did, but none looked life-threatening. Sai gave the man some seconds to catch his breath before they started off on the route toward their safety spot in Hayashibara, the next district over. As they neared the edge of the woods and the entrance to the cemetary, the pale shinobi could hear sounds of an infant crying. Wordlessly, he signalled to Yellow Teeth to hang behind him as he approached to investigate. He scaled a tree for a good view of the immediate area and silently peeked through its leaves. From this height he spotted seven bodies strewn about the graves: guerillas from the same group he had fought just minutes earlier. Still, the cry of a baby rang out from somewhere nearby and Sai jumped down, intending to check it out. As his feet his the ground, he drew his tanto on reflex and blocked a swipe at his neck. He was reminded of the day he met Naruto, when the orange-clad ninja had launched himself at him in a full frontal attack holding only a kunai. At least Ino had tried to catch him unawares, he had to give her that credit. Metaphorically speaking, the tiny blonde female had a bigger dick than Dickless.

"Sai? It's about time you got here."

His blonde teammate glared at him and withdrew her weapon, angrily sliding the blade back into a pink sheath. Sai smiled at her.

"Your technique needs work."

"Shut up."

"I didn't know they issued pink tantos these days."

Ino's glare faltered at that, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"They don't; I had to have it custom modified."

She had never planned on buying something so distinctive but it had become necessary: soon after she made chuunin rank Shikamaru was always 'borrowing' her tanto. The lazy genius's excuse was that he perpetually lost track of his, and since he was always borrowing hers, Ino found she had to sharpen it a lot more often. So she had the sheath and hilt re-painted cotton candy pink in a fit of spite. Shikamaru hadn't touched it since.

Sai signalled for Yellow Teeth to join them and Ino retrieved the baby from a hiding spot cloaked in genjutsu. Yellow Teeth spoke up.

"We passed Ryuutaro-san and Kotomi-san on the way here. How is Noriko-san?"

It took Ino a second to realize that Yellow Teeth was referring to Balding and Midwife. She suddenly felt guilty that she had never bothered to learn their names. She handed him the baby and told him apologetically that the little boy was all that was left alive of the woman. Yellow Teeth cried, and the Konoha shinobi gave him some minutes to collect himself. When he was mostly done, Ino came over to tend to his wounds. She swore when she felt her chakra wavering halfway through healing a gruesome gash and had to stop before she ran out. Using the Shinranshin on seven targets had usurped more of her chakra reserves than she had planned, and she couldn't risk being completely tapped out, not until they'd reached their safe spot. Ino stared at the wound thoughtfully, then took the baby out of Yellow Teeth's arms and handed him to Sai, who looked to be the veritable picture of discomfort. Her patient started to speak but she hushed him, placing a piece of stick straight from the ground into his mouth and instructing him to bite down. Sai, understanding the nature of what was about to happen, wandered some feet away with the baby.

Ino dug into her pouch and pulled out a needle and thread.

* * *

Ino sucked in a breath when she saw Horikawa Emiko, their employer, according to the mission scroll. She was completely identical to Mizushima Noriko in physical appearence, which made sense when Emiko told the group seconds after their arrival that she and Noriko were identical twins. As Sai briefed her on what had happened, Emiko rocked the baby in her arms and listened with a stony face. When he was done, she was frowning and shaking her head.

"I thought something like that might happen. I warned Noriko that three civillians wouldn't be enough to protect her."

Yellow Teeth, whom Ino learned was actually named Yoritomo Shuya, bowed his head in shame. Emiko didn't notice, and put her attention on the infant in her arms.

"This was really a bad plan wasn't it, nephew? This wasn't what I planned at all."

She hugged him closer to her chest and Ino looked incensed.

"Wait, you _planned_ this? You plotted to kill your own sister?"

Emiko looked shocked at the accusation.

"No, it's not like that! It's not."

"Then I think you better explain yourself."

Sai's gaze shifted to Ino and he wondered if he should intervene. Emiko started explaining. It turned out that Emiko was the wife of the Daimyo's eldest son and she had not only known of the affair, but had planned it. An attempt on her life with food poisoning some years back had the adverse effect of leaving her sterile, unbeknownst to her husband, who badly wanted children. So Emiko came up with the brilliant plan of asking her sister to bear his children, and Noriko had agreed to help her. At the time, neither of them had considered the possible consequences of their actions. It was still unclear how this information had been found out, given that Emiko's own husband wasn't even aware of her sister's existence, but somewhere down the line things had become dangerous.

Ino relaxed after hearing the details and, after a full night's rest, she and Sai returned to Konoha.

* * *

"The hospital is that way."

Neji's pale eyes trailed over the form of the petite kunoichi on his doorstep. Outwardly the mindwalker looked fine with only some nicks and cuts to show for her mission, but with his depth of vision Neji could spot an area on Ino's side where the subdermal tissue was still mending. He'd reprimanded her before about half-assed healing herself, medics were just the worst when it came to tending to their own injuries. He would have to have a talk later with whoever had allowed her to sustain damage; as many missions as he'd been on with Ino, he'd managed to never let her walk away from battle with any more than some bruises and shallow cuts. She was one of the few people he trusted to patch him up, and truth be told, he was a little peeved that his personal medic was in less than top condition. Ino huffed.

"Save it. I'm not here to see you anyway. I'm here to see your _wife_."

She'd caught him by surprise with that and Neji's eyebrows shot nearly to his hairline. His body was blocking most of the doorway, but Ino brushed past him anyway, smirking in her victory. Neji glowered, but soon realized the blonde was serious.

"TenTen."

He called his wife in a slightly raised voice and Ino amused herself by checking out the decor. She'd never been inside Neji's house before (at least, not long enough to have a good look around), but it was tastefully decorated and Ino wondered how much of it was his doing and how much was TenTen's influence. She took a seat, plopping rather unceremoniously onto a heavily padded wooden chair that looked like it costed a fortune, and Neji watched her inspect the intricate engravings on the chair's arms.

"I presume you're not here just for friendly chit-chat?"

Ino's inquisitive expression soured.

"Nah, I've got people for that." She picked up a priceless decorational piece from a shelf mounted on the wall and turned it around in her hands. "I'm here because Sai says my tanto skills are some shit."

TenTen emerged from the back of the house, her surprise apparent as her eyes landed on the Yamanaka unexpectedly seated in her front room. Ino stood when she saw her and quickly returned the figurine back to it's position on the shelf. TenTen shot Neji a look that clearly said _What is she doing in our home?_ and Ino, suddenly sheepish donned her notoriously disarming 'can't-help-but-love-me' smile. She didn't like to ask favors, really, especially when she wasn't particularly close to the person she was asking, but she had little choice. TenTen was easily the biggest expert on every physical weapon in existence; if Ino wanted help from the best, there was no other option. Plus TenTen had been one of the fastest kunoichi Konoha had ever raised, mostly thanks to Gai, who aspired and succeeded in creating the fastest team ever. Help from her could improve Ino's evasion remarkably.

"Hey, TenTen. I know it's kinda sudden and I don't really have a right to ask you this, but" , Ino gave a small bow to the older girl hoping a sign of respect might convince her. "Could you give me a lesson on wielding tantos?"

* * *

**A / N: This chapter was troublesome due to the dialogue. Rewrote it a bunch of times and evetually cut a lot out because it was unnecessary. Next chapter will have more action, more tension, and more NejIno. And hopefully I won't be so slow writing it.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Ricochet**

_Protocol dictates to stop the bleeding first. To comfortably stop the bleeding, I'd have to get her arm free. Or cut it off. If I try to remove the arm from the trap, there's the risk of bloodclots. If she gets a bloodclot in her brain or heart while the baby's still in her womb it's Game Over. Maybe it's best to try and have her deliver quickly?_

Ino dug through her weapons pouch until her fingers came across a small, round object. Quickly plucking it out, she pressed it to Noriko's lips.

"Eat. It's a blood pill, it'll replenish some of your hemoglobin."

The woman obliged her and Ino spared another glance at her arm, wanting to touch it but not really trusting herself to be gentle enough for a close inspection.

"Is it a sharp pain or a dull pain? Do you feel faint?"

Noriko shook her head. She was a little breathless, Ino noted, and lightly sweating.

"No. At first there was a really intense pain, but I don't feel it now."

Ino nodded. She was probably having an adrenaline rush, that was good, mostly because she had nothing to give the poor woman for pain. Ino bit her bottom lip, then moved down the side of Noriko's body. Sure enough, her water had already broken.

"Okay Noriko-san, I need you to bend your knees so I can check how far dialated you are."

Noriko obeyed and Ino moved to the bottom of her feet, silently cursing Midwife's premature demise. All Ino knew about delivery was the bits and pieces of information the nurses shouted that carried into the hallways of the hospital. She could only do her best here, and hope that would be enough.

Nervously, Ino lifted Noriko's skirt to the top of her knees.

"Could you...?"

She motioned for her to part her thighs more and Noriko complied. The blonde frowned; she didn't see anything. That couldn't be a good sign. Noriko screamed again, and Ino realized that she should probably time the contractions, but even as she sat there and lamented over her misfortune, in the back of her mind her intuition warned that this was an unprotected area and that enemies could strike at any minute. She wished for walls, water, Shizune, _anything_. Anything for this not to end badly, and she had the sneaking suspicion that that's the way things were quickly headed.

"I need you to push, hard as you can. Ready?"

Noriko grit her teeth and pushed, making a sound somewhere between a wail and a roar. A shiver ran down Ino's spine and she felt bad that she couldn't offer her anything more than words for comfort. Nothing looked any different _down there_, but she tried to reassure the woman with a small smile.

"You're doing great. How do you feel? Is your head fuzzy? Heart racing?"

Noriko shook her head and Ino sighed in relief. Two minutes later, Ino asked her to push again.

Ten minutes in, Ino started to worry. She knew it was common sometimes for labor to go on for hours, but they didn't _have_ hours to spare. _Noriko_ didn't have hours to spare. Ino watched as with each push, her volume dropped a notch and her face looked more drawn. Her adrenaline rush would be completely gone soon, and then it would be all Ino could do just to keep her conscious and her heartrate steady. Ino fed her another blood pill and rubbed her ankle with her thumb.

"This next one, I need you to push with everything you have. Like, realllllly push until you can't anymore, okay?"

She got a nod in response, though Ino suspected she would've received that same answer no matter what she had said.

"3...2...1. Push!"

Noriko made a strangled noise in her throat and pushed. Ino prayed. Then, slowly, she could see something start to come out.

"I can see it! I can see it! Keep going, the baby's coming out."

Noriko heaved and gasped for air. Ino patted her foot.

"Come on, just a few more pushes."

She pushed again, and Ino's excitement turned to dread as she recognized that the baby was coming feet first.

_A breeched birth? _

She put a hand on her forehead and tried not to panic. This was wrong, this was very wrong. She didn't know what made it so dangerous, but she did know that the hospital nurses had gone into a frenzy the one time she'd heard of a baby coming feet first instead of head first. Ino moved to grab Noriko by the wrist and read her pulse. Her blood pressure had already dipped dangerously low.

"Am I...going to die?"

Startled, Ino met Noriko's eyes and tried to tell her _No, of course you won't. I'm here, remember?_ but the words wouldn't come out, she knew it to be a lie. The best she could give was a _Maybe_, and nobody wanted to hear "maybe" as an answer to that question.

"...I can save your child, but..."

"It's too late for me?" Noriko finished, voice straining to be heard. Ino dug her nails into the palms of her own hands with tight fists.

"No. I could save you, but...your baby won't be able to come out the natural way. To save your child, I'd have to cut you, and I don't have... If you weren't pregnant-"

"I see." Noriko held a hand up, she didn't need to hear any more. "Save my child."

Ino hesistated, then fixed her hands into a seal. The least she could do was put her in a nice genjutsu before making the cut that would seal her fate. When Noriko's eyes clouded over, Ino reached and pulled a kunai from her thigh holster. Then she popped the buttons at the top of her skirt and unwrapped it from her waist, leaving her lower half clad in her black shorts. She set the material aside and positioned her hand over Noriko's stomach. Holding her breath, Ino pressed the kunai into the skin and made a long, shallow cut from bellybutton to pelvis.

_Yellow layer. Fat._

She re-traced the cut with more pressure. Fluid wept out, and she pushed the sides of the incision open before sticking a hand in to feel for the baby. She tried not think about the fact that her hand was _inside someone's body_ and focused. There! Towards the left she felt something different. Ino reached in with her other hand and lifted the tiny infant out.

_It's a boy._

Balancing the newborn on her hand and forearm aganist her chest, Ino used her other hand to wrap her skirt around the bundle. That done, she cut the umbilical cord and glanced at Noriko's face. The young woman had passed on already, without having held or named her son, and Ino almost cried for her. Softly she turned the little boy over and stood up, patting his back to clear his lungs. He cried, and she wished his mother could hear it. At the very least, she wished she could give her a proper burial, but she knew she didn't have time for that. Maybe when they completed the mission, she and Sai would have a chance to bury the dead, for now, she would-

The sudden, forceful impact of something large crashing into her back sent Ino's slight form flying forward and she remembered just in time to twist and land on her back, for the baby's sake. The back of her head collided with a headstone and she hissed in pain. Seven people emerged from the trees and bushes and Ino sat up, one hand bracing her weight on the ground, the other gently holding the screaming infant. Two of the people drew dull knives from their clothes and advanced towards her. Ino took her weight off of her supporting arm and put her hand into a seal.

"Shinranshin no Jutsu!"

* * *

In the space of twenty minutes, Sai had managed to put an end to a group of attackers almost the size of a small army with just his tanto's blade and was even able to keep Yellow Teeth alive. As the last few bodies hit the ground he paused and listened for a second wave of attackers. Pure silence sat in the air, and after a minute, Sai sheathed his blade. Looking over at Yellow Teeth, he appeared to have more injuries than Sai did, but none looked life-threatening. Sai gave the man some seconds to catch his breath before they started off on the route toward their safety spot in Hayashibara, the next district over. As they neared the edge of the woods and the entrance to the cemetary, the pale shinobi could hear sounds of an infant crying. Wordlessly, he signalled to Yellow Teeth to hang behind him as he approached to investigate. He scaled a tree for a good view of the immediate area and silently peeked through its leaves. From this height he spotted seven bodies strewn about the graves: guerillas from the same group he had fought just minutes earlier. Still, the cry of a baby rang out from somewhere nearby and Sai jumped down, intending to check it out. As his feet his the ground, he drew his tanto on reflex and blocked a swipe at his neck. He was reminded of the day he met Naruto, when the orange-clad ninja had launched himself at him in a full frontal attack holding only a kunai. At least Ino had tried to catch him unawares, he had to give her that credit. Metaphorically speaking, the tiny blonde female had a bigger dick than Dickless.

"Sai? It's about time you got here."

His blonde teammate glared at him and withdrew her weapon, angrily sliding the blade back into a pink sheath. Sai smiled at her.

"Your technique needs work."

"Shut up."

"I didn't know they issued pink tantos these days."

Ino's glare faltered at that, and a small smile tugged at the corners of her mouth.

"They don't; I had to have it custom modified."

She had never planned on buying something so distinctive but it had become necessary: soon after she made chuunin rank Shikamaru was always 'borrowing' her tanto. The lazy genius's excuse was that he perpetually lost track of his, and since he was always borrowing hers, Ino found she had to sharpen it a lot more often. So she had the sheath and hilt re-painted cotton candy pink in a fit of spite. Shikamaru hadn't touched it since.

Sai signalled for Yellow Teeth to join them and Ino retrieved the baby from a hiding spot cloaked in genjutsu. Yellow Teeth spoke up.

"We passed Ryuutaro-san and Kotomi-san on the way here. How is Noriko-san?"

It took Ino a second to realize that Yellow Teeth was referring to Balding and Midwife. She suddenly felt guilty that she had never bothered to learn their names. She handed him the baby and told him apologetically that the little boy was all that was left alive of the woman. Yellow Teeth cried, and the Konoha shinobi gave him some minutes to collect himself. When he was mostly done, Ino came over to tend to his wounds. She swore when she felt her chakra wavering halfway through healing a gruesome gash and had to stop before she ran out. Using the Shinranshin on seven targets had usurped more of her chakra reserves than she had planned, and she couldn't risk being completely tapped out, not until they'd reached their safe spot. Ino stared at the wound thoughtfully, then took the baby out of Yellow Teeth's arms and handed him to Sai, who looked to be the veritable picture of discomfort. Her patient started to speak but she hushed him, placing a piece of stick straight from the ground into his mouth and instructing him to bite down. Sai, understanding the nature of what was about to happen, wandered some feet away with the baby.

Ino dug into her pouch and pulled out a needle and thread.

* * *

Ino sucked in a breath when she saw Horikawa Emiko, their employer, according to the mission scroll. She was completely identical to Mizushima Noriko in physical appearence, which made sense when Emiko told the group seconds after their arrival that she and Noriko were identical twins. As Sai briefed her on what had happened, Emiko rocked the baby in her arms and listened with a stony face. When he was done, she was frowning and shaking her head.

"I thought something like that might happen. I warned Noriko that three civillians wouldn't be enough to protect her."

Yellow Teeth, whom Ino learned was actually named Yoritomo Shuya, bowed his head in shame. Emiko didn't notice, and put her attention on the infant in her arms.

"This was really a bad plan wasn't it, nephew? This wasn't what I planned at all."

She hugged him closer to her chest and Ino looked incensed.

"Wait, you _planned_ this? You plotted to kill your own sister?"

Emiko looked shocked at the accusation.

"No, it's not like that! It's not."

"Then I think you better explain yourself."

Sai's gaze shifted to Ino and he wondered if he should intervene. Emiko started explaining. It turned out that Emiko was the wife of the Daimyo's eldest son and she had not only known of the affair, but had planned it. An attempt on her life with food poisoning some years back had the adverse effect of leaving her sterile, unbeknownst to her husband, who badly wanted children. So Emiko came up with the brilliant plan of asking her sister to bear his children, and Noriko had agreed to help her. At the time, neither of them had considered the possible consequences of their actions. It was still unclear how this information had been found out, given that Emiko's own husband wasn't even aware of her sister's existence, but somewhere down the line things had become dangerous.

Ino relaxed after hearing the details and, after a full night's rest, she and Sai returned to Konoha.

* * *

"The hospital is that way."

Neji's pale eyes trailed over the form of the petite kunoichi on his doorstep. Outwardly the mindwalker looked fine with only some nicks and cuts to show for her mission, but with his depth of vision Neji could spot an area on Ino's side where the subdermal tissue was still mending. He'd reprimanded her before about half-assed healing herself, medics were just the worst when it came to tending to their own injuries. He would have to have a talk later with whoever had allowed her to sustain damage; as many missions as he'd been on with Ino, he'd managed to never let her walk away from battle with any more than some bruises and shallow cuts. She was one of the few people he trusted to patch him up, and truth be told, he was a little peeved that his personal medic was in less than top condition. Ino huffed.

"Save it. I'm not here to see you anyway. I'm here to see your _wife_."

She'd caught him by surprise with that and Neji's eyebrows shot nearly to his hairline. His body was blocking most of the doorway, but Ino brushed past him anyway, smirking in her victory. Neji glowered, but soon realized the blonde was serious.

"TenTen."

He called his wife in a slightly raised voice and Ino amused herself by checking out the decor. She'd never been inside Neji's house before (at least, not long enough to have a good look around), but it was tastefully decorated and Ino wondered how much of it was his doing and how much was TenTen's influence. She took a seat, plopping rather unceremoniously onto a heavily padded wooden chair that looked like it costed a fortune, and Neji watched her inspect the intricate engravings on the chair's arms.

"I presume you're not here just for friendly chit-chat?"

Ino's inquisitive expression soured.

"Nah, I've got people for that." She picked up a priceless decorational piece from a shelf mounted on the wall and turned it around in her hands. "I'm here because Sai says my tanto skills are some shit."

TenTen emerged from the back of the house, her surprise apparent as her eyes landed on the Yamanaka unexpectedly seated in her front room. Ino stood when she saw her and quickly returned the figurine back to it's position on the shelf. TenTen shot Neji a look that clearly said _What is she doing in our home?_ and Ino, suddenly sheepish donned her notoriously disarming 'can't-help-but-love-me' smile. She didn't like to ask favors, really, especially when she wasn't particularly close to the person she was asking, but she had little choice. TenTen was easily the biggest expert on every physical weapon in existence; if Ino wanted help from the best, there was no other option. Plus TenTen had been one of the fastest kunoichi Konoha had ever raised, mostly thanks to Gai, who aspired and succeeded in creating the fastest team ever. Help from her could improve Ino's evasion remarkably.

"Hey, TenTen. I know it's kinda sudden and I don't really have a right to ask you this, but" , Ino gave a small bow to the older girl hoping a sign of respect might convince her. "Could you give me a lesson on wielding tantos?"

* * *

**A / N: This chapter was troublesome due to the dialogue. Rewrote it a bunch of times and evetually cut a lot out because it was unnecessary. Next chapter will have more action, more tension, and more NejIno. And hopefully I won't be so slow writing it.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Ricochet**

It came as a great relief to Ino's pride when Tenten, a little taken aback by her request, had quietly answered that she'd be willing to teach her. In an even voice the brunette had gone on to state the terms of the training: this was a one-time deal, and she was not to expect more. Ino was to meet Tenten on her portion of the Hyuuga training grounds an hour after sunrise. Tenten expected absolute dedication to this training session, and would not tolerate any less than her full attention and effort. There would be no rest breaks. And finally, this would be tanto training _only_; Ino was not to use her Shintenshin or any jutsu other than taijutsu. Those were the conditions, and if Ino didn't agree then she'd retract her offer.

Ino agreed.

The next morning found Yamanaka Ino with her hair carefully tucked into a large bun, wearing a cropped tank top with fishnet support underneath, and short black shorts. She clutched her weapon tightly in her right hand as she approached the Hyuuga compound, anxious for what laid ahead. Tenten came out to meet her dressed in an old, worn-out shirt and loose pants and dumped a staff, a tanto, and a katana on the ground before leading Ino a little further away from the house. There, she commanded Ino to do her forms, her _kata_. She wanted to study Ino's movements as she went through the patterned sequence of tanto movements taught to chuunins. Ino obeyed, and for three hours Tenten would stop her, correct her, and make her start over until Ino stopped moving in short, memorized steps and swings and began to blend her actions fluidly. And then she started timing her.

Six hours later, it was well into the morning and fast approaching noon when Tenten fetched the both of them some water and decided it was time to now move on to sparring. Hanabi had followed Tenten back from the house and took a seat in the near distance. Without so much as an introduction, Ino spared the fourteen year old a casual glance before once again giving her sensei-for-the-day her attention. Tenten slipped into a defensive taijutsu stance.

"The most basic thing you need to learn is how to defeat an unarmed opponent. If you can't gain the advantage with a tanto against a melee fighter, then you have no business carrying it. Come at me."

Ino swooped in for a broadside strike. Tenten deflected, catching Ino's forearm and shoving it away. In the same step, Ino tried for a slash at the brunette's back. Tenten easily dodged.

"You're keeping your feet too closely together. Always try to keep them shoulder-width apart, you'll have better balance. Try again."

The blonde went for a diagonal cut and Tenten caught the blade - smacked it, kind of - between her two perfectly straight palms and landed a fierce kick to Ino's middle, knocking her back and causing her to release her hold on her blade. Tenten frowned and tossed the weapon back to her.

"Never, EVER, let your opponent get ahold of your weapon. Your own blade should never be used against you, so to prevent that you should never let it out of your hands. For any reason."

Tenten motioned for her to try again. Ino charged in, and right as she was preparing to strike, Tenten switched from defense to offense. She swiveled and caught Ino first with an elbow to the ribs quickly followed by a knee to the face.

"Next lesson: even when you are on offense, you should be paying attention to your defense. Don't over-commit to the swing. Because you were anticipating landing a blow, you couldn't move quickly enough to block. You should know the holes in your defenses better than the enemy. Since there is no stance that adequately protects from all strikes, you'll just have to pay attention to where you're leaving yourself open."

Ino rubbed away the blood running under her nose.

_She's fast._

It was a fact, one that Ino knew already, but knowing and seeing were two different things. Although she was supposedly the slowest member of Team Gai, always trailing behind Neji and Lee, Tenten was _swift_ and had some of the quickest reflexes Ino had ever seen in a fellow chuunin. If Ino was going to win this, it wasn't going to be by being quicker than her or even by surprising her - Tenten seemed to be pretty good at reading her movements before she even completed them. Ino was going to have to either overpower her - which was unlikely, Tenten would probably dodge a blow that looked too strong to block - or outsmart her. That would be no easy feat without resorting to ninjutsu, but where there was a will, there was a way.

Ino charged forward, and Tenten did the same. Tenten aimed a kick for Ino's throat and the blonde blocked with her own leg, shin bone hitting shin bone, and sliced at Tenten's chest but got only air. Tenten tried for a grapple move and Ino struck her with the hilt of the tanto, only gaining a foot of space which Tenten quickly invaded again for a punch to the chest. Ino used her elbow to misguide the blow and, switching hands, managed to land a shallow cut on the brunette's neck. They stopped, both knowing that round had ended there. Tenten furrowed her brow.

"You're left handed?"

"Yes."

"Then why haven't you been using your left the whole time?"

"I was taught to use the tanto with my right."

The ex-kunoichi shook her head disapprovingly.

"Then practice both, become ambidextrious. It's better to have equal power on both arms than to have skill on one arm and power on the other. You're probably better suited to use kodachi though."

She said the last part almost off-handedly. The blonde was clearly not gifted in weapon mastery, and while it might help her a little to use something better crafted for her fighting style, ultimately it would make no difference. Besides, she'd only agreed to teach the girl tanto proficiency and the only reason she was even doing it was because you never know what could save your life. In this case, this untalented kunoichi might be all that stood between Neji and death one day, and Tenten would rather sacrifice her time now than to deny her and risk Ino's lack of skill making her a widow later. Ino wasn't the same type of kunoichi Tenten had been - they weren't cut from the same cloth per se - but Ino was now a common teammate of his and as essential as a right hand. If Ino was going to be Neji's right hand, Tenten wanted that hand _strong_. She walked over to where she'd dumped a small pile of weapons earlier and picked up the wooden staff.

"Allright, let's try it against and armed opponent now."

* * *

The two girls were well into their second phase of sparring when Hanabi spied her cousin watching from the back door. Eventually he wandered over and took a seat beside her while the two fought on, oblivious. In a voice barely above a whisper, he asked how things had looked so far. Hanabi never took her eyes off of the scene in front of them as she answered him.

"Tenten's skill and dexterity are far superior, but that girl is clever. She seems to get her advantages by quickly changing plans; she's got good battle intuition. And her movements have more power than Tenten's."

Neji's eyes followed each woman's movements and minutes passed without him uttering a word. Hanabi noted his chakra was eerily still. Then, almost out of the blue, he spoke.

"Tenten is a distance fighter. Ino is close-quarters."

"Yes."

He fell silent again. His statement had been accurate and they both knew what that meant; a close-range combatant hardly had a prayer against a distance fighter. Had Tenten been going all-out, Ino would be dead.

For the first time since he came out, Hanabi turned to look at her cousin, wondering what thoughts were floating through his head.

* * *

Neji watched as his wife had concluded that Ino could finally defend well enough against a staff, and switched to a tanto. He watched as on Tenten's first strike, she landed a nasty gash across Ino's upper thigh and he tried not to flinch. Ino was in over her head, trying to fight using the skill she was worst at against the person who was best at that very thing. It was foolish. If Tenten had decided to dual wield, Ino would have been finished before they even started. Why was she doing this? And why had she chosen Tenten, of all people? Why hadn't she come to him?

He remembered the first time he'd met Ino, at the chuunin exams. He'd mocked her weakness immediately and laughed at her, because that was all she had been worth at the time. She was so..._petite_, shorter than several of the girls her age and her features were so delicate that she very much looked like a doll rather than a shinobi. A golden-haired, blue eyed porcelain doll. Soon enough, he learned that this was a fact Ino was well aware of and took to its full advantage - she flaunted her appearence as proudly as a colorful bird. And god was she vain. But the doll-like kunoichi was also a warrior, and he had been fairly shocked the first time he really saw her scheme, sabotage, and distract on one of their first missions together. In time, he came to recognize and even respect her as a ninja.

But seeing her now in the midst of actual battle -in the very eye of danger - still pulled at his chivalry, demanded his protection. In spite of himself, he felt stressed as he watched her square off against Tenten, who he noted was a little slower than she used to be. Tenten, who couldn't be more opposite from her. He had rarely been concerned for Tenten's safety in battle, she was tough, she was quick, she was _capable_. Capable? Neji was slightly curious as to why that word had popped up in his mind. Capable. Sure, it did describe Tenten, she could handle herself well without too much need for cover. But Ino...didn't he feel she was capable as well? He had put his life in her hands several times already, hadn't that meant he believed in her even a little bit? And yet, against Tenten he couldn't help but feel that Ino was a fish out of water.

Neji watched as the two women charged at each other yet again, blades shining and slicked with blood.

His wife was fighting his partner, and he didn't know who he was rooting for.

* * *

They went six rounds before Tenten was satisfied with Ino's performance, and as she went to change weapons, Ino tended to the wound on her leg that was throbbing quite painfully. If she were being honest with herself, she was disappointed that she wasn't faring better than she was. Each round, Tenten came at her more fiercely, held less back, and Ino was barely able to fend her off. And _goddamnit_ she was fast! It felt like the longer the training went on, the faster she was getting. Or maybe Ino was getting slower? She'd never had a training session before, of any kind, where she was denied rest breaks. There was sweat in her eyes, her muscles were screaming, two of her toes were broken, and she had various cuts and bruises ranging in severity all over. Hell, if this was how Tenten had grown up training, Ino was majorly impressed.

* * *

Hanabi watched as her cousin by law retrieved a katana from the grass, unsheathing it and tossing the cover aside. This round would be the last.

From what she had witnessed, the blonde had steadily improved as the day wore on, but Tenten was getting more and more serious while the girl seemed to be becoming more fatigued. The odds were heavily in the favor of the older girl, and the skin-baring kunoichi was going to go down in inescapable defeat.

She glanced at her cousin again. To a stranger he would look completely poker-faced, but Hanabi was just as much Hyuuga as he was, and she saw how his jaw clenched and lips thinned. He was nervous.

* * *

Tenten was silently furious at herself as she struggled to control her breathing. She'd trained much harder and longer in the past with Team Gai, this should have been a cakewalk by comparison. Why was she even breaking a sweat against this...this...barely-clothed _novice_? The more she fought her, the more she was amazed that Ino hadn't died on some mission long ago. But the more she fought her, the more she could tell that the Yamanaka was more than just a pretty face. Beyond baby blue eyes laid a mind that plotted and manipulated to gain the upperhand in battle. In the beginning, it had been easy to read her anticipated movements and act accordingly, but now it seemed Ino was on to her. She purposely positioned herself in ways to elicit specific reactions from Tenten, then changed her attack completely. She had turned Tenten's own strategy back on her, and while part of her admired her for devising that tactic, a larger part of her was PISSED.

* * *

Since Tenten had picked up the katana, Ino was back to losing. Badly. The weapon's mistress had a longer weapon, a longer reach, and Ino just couldn't break past her defenses to get close enough to cut. No matter how she looked at the situation, Ino was at a severe disadvantage. How could a tanto, a large knife, ever hope to conquer a katana, a sword? It was the equivalent of a housecat trying to fight a lion. There was no winning, there was just no way.

_But what if..._

Tenten charged at her. Ino remembered the last thing she had been taught about tantos, one of the things Tenten had warned strongly against, and smiled.

_"If there are no other clear options, the tanto may be used as a projectile." _

* * *

As she charged towards Ino, Tenten's faced slipped into confusion as she watched the girl smile and sheathe her blade. What could she possibly be thinking, sheathing her weapon in the middle of a battle? Didn't she know that was the stupidest thing she could possibly do? Was she not even trying anymore? Was this a surrender? Didn't she make it clear that a round isn't over until there's a draw or a simulated fatal move? What was she _thinking_?

But Tenten didn't have time question Ino's motives anymore. As soon as Tenten's katana was almost in striking distance - too close to dodge - Ino threw her sheathed tanto.

It flew straight, like a well-aimed kunai, and hit Tenten directly over the heart.

Too close to dodge.

* * *

Two pairs of white eyes watched in disbelief as the fair-haired kunoichi had very directly landed a fatal blow against her opponent, ending the match. She was still smiling, beaming, as Tenten stood rock still, her katana still poised to slash at Ino's neck. For several seconds, Tenten herself looked utterly flabberghasted.

And then her chakra flared.

* * *

Neji was floored when Ino had actually managed to figure out a way to win the match, but when he felt the strong surge of killing intent from his wife, the astonishment gave way to urgency. In a movement faster than he thought possible of himself, Neji was gripping Tenten's wrist. Hanabi worriedly stood up, looking back and forth between Ino, Neji, and Tenten.

"Tenten! Control yourself, you are letting your emotions interfere."

She felt pressure compressing strongly around her wrist and heard her husband's voice before she even noticed he was beside her. He had a hold on her joint so tight that if she struggled, it would surely break. His voice held an icy tone she hadn't heard him use in years, much less use against _her_. That was the voice he used to talk to Hinata in, in the times before he had changed his mindset, and a chill ran down her spine. She released the katana and it fell harmlessly to the ground. She could feel Hanabi and Ino staring at her, and she wouldn't meet their eyes. Neji slowly released her, his hand falling stiffly to his side. Tenten could feel him looking at her too; of the three she was sure he had the best idea of what almost happened. His searching eyes were the ones she wanted to avoid the most. For a few tense moments, nobody said anything.

A full minute later, Neji quietly told Ino the lesson was over.

* * *

Well into the night, Tenten bathed in the steaming water of their bathroom tub, wondering what had come over her. She had never felt that kind of hostility towards another Konoha shinobi before. She hadn't been thinking - scratch that, she _had_ been thinking, but none of her thoughts had been clear-minded or civil. She had wanted to kill that girl, that much she couldn't deny. But the reasons for her rage were incoherent and irrational and it was starting to make her head hurt trying to figure it all out. Did she have a grudge against Ino? She hoped not. And for what, being pretty? The girl couldn't even figure out how to handle a large knife properly on her own, what was there to resent her for? Anger could be a complex thing, really.

Tenten stepped out of the bathtub and dried off, wrapping the towel around herself when she finished. When she opened the door and stepped into the hallway, Neji was passing by. She reached out, intending to kiss him and apologize for her unsightly behavior earlier.

He brushed her off.

* * *

**A / N : I know you're going _Tenten? Stronger than Ino? Wtf!_ but keep in mind here that Tenten is in her element and Ino's not allowed to use hers, so the playing field isn't too level. Lol, but you know that smile Ino gives Tenten is saying _Ha! I got ya, bish!_**


	8. Chapter 8

**Ricochet**

The hand signal from her team leader had Ino cutting her leap short and stilling around a wooden trunk, concentrated chakra in her hands and feet both keeping her in place and preventing the long column from swaying. Though she couldn't see it, it was a long, long way down to the forest floor and out of precaution she gripped the smooth surface tighter than necessary. Stupid bamboo. Out of all places, why had their targets chosen to take refuge in a bamboo forest? Because it was difficult to navigate. Because it was fairly easy to detect an attack or someone following you. Because it perfectly concealed any traps surrounding their stronghold. Because in the middle of the night, all of these qualities were multiplied.

On two bamboo poles ahead of her, her teammates surveyed the scene though only one of them could clearly monitor all that was present.

"There are thirty-five. Six in each of the side tents, five in the one due north. Rogue shinobi, from the looks of their chakra."

His voice was a whisper in the dead winds, barely reaching her ears just three feet from his back.

"There are no genjutsu traps."

Her other teammate trailed his eyes from the camp below to their leader.

"Any barriers that need disarmin' ?"

The Hyuuga shook his head, a discreet movement almost lost entirely in the blanket of nightfall surrounding them.

"No. And at this hour, all of them should be present now. Fujiwara, start setting up the perimeter. Yamanaka,"

He paused, and Ino listened attentively. Their mission scroll had been vague in their objective, summarized in only three words: trap, extract, and destroy. The details of the situation were equally scant, only mentioning that there was a possible uprising being planned in Rice Country by _insurgents_. They hadn't even been given an exact location on the targets' whereabouts and had spent two days tracking one of the members until he had finally led them to the hideout deep in an emerald forest of bamboo stalks high as sycamore trees. Ultimately, the task of coming up with a plan to handle the situation fell squarely on the shoulders of Hyuuga Neji and as expected, he didn't disappoint. She had expected things to be strange between them after she'd inadvertently enraged Tenten during her training, but Neji had been as impassive and professional as always. If that little fiasco had left any bad impressions on him, he wasn't showing it.

"Stay here and keep surveillance. Once the barrier is up, Fujiwara and I will detain the suspected leader. I want you watching every movement of the remaining thirty-four. If anything looks abnormal, let us know immediately, but maintain your position. If we have any trouble getting information out of him, we'll bring him to you."

Ino nodded. Once upon a time, years ago - actually, even just one year ago - Ino would have been supremely outraged about being sidelined. Now, however, after twenty-some odd missions with the prodigy, she actually trusted his decision.

"Measurements?" , came the question from Fujiwara Shingo, Konoha's top _kekkai jutsu_ specialist.

"A hundred and twenty feet by one eighty."

"Got it."

Fujiwara smiled, content with the game plan. It turned into a smirk as he inclined his head to look at Ino.

"See ya later, Sweetcheeks. Have fun sitting still and looking pretty."

Ino's jaw clenched and she shot Neji a look full of silent begging. He sent one back that clearly expressed _No, you may not attack him._ and she swallowed her anger. The third member of their team had been getting on her nerves right from the beginning with his sexist remarks and her patience was wearing thin. She couldn't stand him, and if he said _one more thing_ about women being inferior, Ino was going to Shintenshin his butt to the edge of the nearest cliff. Sometimes being reminded that she lived and worked in a field dominated by men was a really rude awakening.

Neji and Shingo slid down the bamboo stalks and sprang onto the ground noiselessly. Ino watched as Shingo crouched down and fixed his hands into a seal, casting his chakra barrier around the entire site. If worst came to worst, nobody would be able to come rushing in, and nobody would be able to run out. As soon as he finished, Neji motioned for him to follow close behind and they ran into a tent on the right. Ino kept her gaze on the other tents.

_Everything looks fine. Do you have the ring leader?_

_No. _Neji's voice rang in her head. _It doesn't look as if he's among these. We're moving on to the next tent._

The pair came out and quickly ran into the next one. Neji seemed to be following a particular pathway between tents, and Ino noticed that Shingo was careful to step only in his footsteps. Ino's thigh muscles started to burn from being clamped around the bamboo so tightly, but she simply tightened her grip with her hands and tried to ignore it. This would only take a few more mintues, all she had to do was hold on. She listened, muffled sounds of struggle leaking out of the tent not quite loud enough to wake the sleeping. She heard a loud grunt, then nothing for several minutes. Then Shingo's voice played in her brain.

_Come on down here, woman. He's giving us trouble, ain't tryna tell us nothin'._

Ino frowned, rolling her eyes even though he couldn't possibly see her look from inside the tent.

_Negative. Goes against Hyuuga-taichou's orders. Bring him to me._

_Goddamnit woman, we done all the work and you can't come down here to finish the job? Damn useless. Get your ass down here, now!_

_Negative._ She cut her mental connection with him, switching instead to their leader. _Neji, Fujiwara says he's not talking?_

There was something like a mental sigh in response, and Ino wondered how he did that. _He is unresponsive to our methods so far. We may need your assistance._

_Do you want me to come down?_

_No. Stay, we'll bring him to you._

Ino bit back a shriek as a bat flew too close to her head, then watched as Neji, Shingo, and their captive emerged from the tent. They walked in a single file line: Shingo in front, Neji in the back, and the man struggling between them the entire time. Shingo glared up at her as they approached and Ino didn't need to read his mind to know he was cursing her out. Their hostage followed his gaze, spotting Ino. He opened his mouth, attempting to shout but managing only a muffled cry against the gag in his mouth. Frustrated, he looked to the ground and kicked at a rock smaller than the size of a fist. None of them thought anything of it until the rock landed some feet away, triggering spikes made from whittled bamboo to pop up in various spots around the camp and senbon flying in several directions.

* * *

Ino could only watch as Neji and Shingo dove to take cover and restrained the prisoner and bodies started to shuffle inside of the tents. In seconds, Shingo had set up a barrier around the person who had tripped the traps and he and Neji were fighting off the angry rebels. The chuunin and jonin were handling everything well, and Ino was almost relaxing when she had to dodge an arrow destined for her shoulder. Another followed soon after and Ino twisted awkwardly on the pole, fighting against the smoothness of it to hang on while deflecting away a third arrow with her tanto.

_There's a sniper targeting me. I can't tell where his position is, but I'm having trouble dodging up here._

_Maintain your position. We'll find him._

_Can't even dodge some damn projectiles. You're a piece of work, woman._

_You're pushing it, Fujiwara._

_What're you going to do about it? Cry?_

_Ignore him, Yamanaka. That's an order._

Ino leaned out of the way of another arrow and before she could re-shift her weight, her thighs were sliding and she was falling away from her pole. Down, down, down, she could feel her slight body picking up speed and she reached out to try and get a good chakra-infused grip on another pole. She couldn't. It was too far, too smooth, and she was going too fast. There wasn't even anything close enough she could use to do a _kawarimi no jutsu._ Ino blocked yet another arrow launched at her and started mentally preparing herself for the impact and shifting her body to try and minimize the places that would be damaged on impact.

Seconds from the ground, he caught her.

Ino was about to mumble her gratitude when she realized that it was Fujiwara's arms around her. He smirked at her shocked face as he leapt over the spikes that sprung up in reaction to movement. Ino bristled out of reflex.

_Fuck you._

"You promise?"

She glared and he chuckled at the fact that she could look so _proud_ after needing to be rescued.

"Put me-"

Her back made contact with the ground before she could finish her request to be put down. She made a sound of irritation when his body followed hers, heavy and obstructive, pinning her to the ground. Ino flailed and shoved roughly at his shoulders.

"Get up! Are you stupid? There's - Hey! Hey?"

As she managed to roll him off of her with one good shove, Ino noticed three senbon: two in his arm, and one in his ribcage. He wasn't moving, and Ino hit his shoulder lightly.

"Seriously? Come on, they didn't even hit any vitals."

He didn't respond. She checked Fujiwara's eyes and found them still blinking and not-dialted. _Still conscious._ She pulled out the senbon and studied the skin around the puncture marks. No discoloration. _No signs of poisoning whatsoever._ She shook him.

"Fujiwara?"

He was just laying there, alive, but not moving despite lacking any serious injury or any blood poisoning. Ino put a hand under his nose, then laid her head on his chest to listen. He was breathing in slow, shallow breaths. She sat upright.

_Can you move? _

_No. Does it _look_ like I'm moving? Fuck. Body's heavy, numb. Can't even move my lips._

The answer hit Ino like a ton of bricks: sedatives.

_Neji, don't let any of the enemies' weapons hit you, not even a scratch. They've laced their weapons with some kind of high powered sedative and they've already hit Fujiwara. _

_Understood, conceal yourselves. Tend to him and stay out of battle._

She put one hand over Fujiwara's middle, using her chakra to run diagnostics. From what she could tell, the effects weren't going to wear off anytime soon. Fujiwara started to hyperventilate.

_What's wrong? What's happening?_

_I can't breathe! Not enough air comin' in._

The mindwalker grit her teeth produced a yellow pill from her weapons pouch, pushing it past his lips and coaxing it down his throat. The sedative was a stronger variant of muscle relaxant than she'd thought if it was starting to paralyze his lungs already, next would be his heart. The adrenaline pill would buy her some time, keep his heartrate up and hopefully increase his oxygen intake while she prepared to do the only think she could think of.

"Shintenshin no Jutsu."

* * *

Neji growled and parried off another attack from a foe. They were better trained than he'd been expecting and had the advantage of knowing the landscape, choosing to attack in waves instead of all together. So far he'd taken out a little less than half, and the remaining ones were smart enough to not get close enough to have their tenketsu closed. As he fought, he tried to keep his eyes open for where his teammates were taking cover, but he couldn't catch a single second of peace to get a good look for their chakra. He couldn't shake the wave of concern creeping up his spine.

There were reasons he didn't want Ino on the ground. For one, she lacked both the Byakugan and the ability to create chakra barriers to protect herself. She was also the team medic, and the rule books clearly stated that the medic was to be kept out of harm's way if they were going to be of any use to the team. It didn't help to add to that that nearly all of the Yamanaka techniques were more supplementary in nature than straight out offensive or defensive. And that her jutsu tended to have a waiting period between casting and completion; anytime she used her jutsu there needed to be someone available to guard her body. Neji felt...vexed.

_She is like a child._

He'd told her to stay in the bamboo and she fell out of it. He'd told her to hide and she hid herself too well, out of his sight. He'd told her to stay out of battle. If he saw her fighting, Neji wasn't sure what he was going to do. Air Palm her clear across Rice Country, maybe. Why couldn't she just _stay out of trouble_? Why did she have to make him worry? Even Lee, talentless, impulsive chuunin that he was never made Neji worry. Not Lee, not Tenten, not anyone, really. Why did he have this stupid urge to assure her safety?

Neji smashed his knuckles into the face of a nin with a little more force than usual.

_Like a capricious child._

* * *

Ino plunged into the depths of Shingo's mind feeling momentarily disoriented and bewildered. Taking a dive into someone's mind was much like being dropped in the middle of the ocean - there were currents, varying depths, and you could never be entirely sure of where you were. You couldn't even keep track of time because it felt like everything, everywhere, infinitely. Time was relative, and inside someone's mind, time didn't exist. On the positive side, being inside someone's head was the best way to get to know someone quickly, though deeply personal. (Shikamaru had never let her inside of his head, and she isn't sure if that's to protect himself or her)

_Who the hell is 'Shikamaru'? Don't think about other men in my head._

_Shut up, Fujiwara. I'm risking my life for you._

_By fantasizing?_

_You do realize that if you fall unconscious, the _both_ of us could die?_

She'd been trying not to think about that fact when she decided to Shintenshin him. One of the very first things her father had taught her about the Yamanaka clan's jutsu was that it was highly dangerous to perform it on an unconscious target, especially without speciallized training for that specific circumstance.

Ino had not yet been trained for that. For _this_.

Unable to get her bearings, Ino took a moment to relax and adjust before allowing herself to drift below the level of Shingo's fading consciousness and delving deep down into his subconscious. She couldn't hear his thoughts anymore, could hear nothing but absolute stillness. But she could _feel_. Ino could feel the languid throb of his heartbeat gradually building from the adrenaline and the slow caress of oxygen flowing in and out of his airways. She focused in on both, synchronizing her own rhythym with his, trying to strengthen the connection as best she could. If this didn't work...well, it had better work. Ino had a theory: while it was exceedingly simpler to implant thoughts and suggestions into the conscious mind, the subconscious was still part of the brain too, and therefore she should hypothetically be able to implant commands there as well. There was already conclusive evidence from several studies (many of which conducted by Orochimaru, back in the day) that suggested that the human body could be forced into obedience by a working brain. Perhaps, if she had made a strong enough connection and used enough mental pressure, she could override Shingo's paralyzed muscles if she sent the right signals in his brain.

Ino concentrated hard, summoning as much chakra and strength as she could inside of Fujiwara's body and tried to blend it into his. In one moment, she pushed it all out in a rush.

_Breathe._

His body arched off of the ground as his chest heaved in a large portion of air. Ino could feel the strength returning to him as he gradually regained sovereignty over his tendons and ligaments. Relieved, Ino cancelled the Shintenshin, expelling her from his mind.

A few minutes later, she awoke in her body with a jolt, Neji's voice booming in her mind.

_Yamanaka!_

If she hadn't been lying down, she would have toppled over just from his volume.

_Wha-_

_Clear the area. Relocate, NOW._

Ino turned her head side to side, trying to see what was going on in the darkness. It was futile, all she could make out were vague shapes and a movement here and there.

_Why?_

_...You have the audacity to ask why? Just get out of there!_

Ino put a cautious hand on Shingo's body. He was breathing well now and looked fully alert, but was having touble trying to sit up. His muscles were starting to respond but he was still far from being able to run.

_I can't. Fujiwara's alive, but he can't move. I can't just leave him here._

_Do as I say._

_No._

* * *

Neji swore and delivered a Jyuuken to a nin's face. There were eleven left plus the leader still trapped in Fujiwara's jutsu, but he hadn't confirmed all of the kills and couldn't be sure if one or two enemies could get up and attack again, perhaps choosing to go after Ino and Shingo. No shinobi was morally above attacking an injured opponent; rather quite the contrary and Neji had no plans of losing teammates on this mission. He performed a _kaiten_ and used the seconds it bought him to put his Byakugan to use and locate his comrades.

_There _they were. A distance away, but still within earshot.

"Fujiwara! Barricade yourself and Yamanaka until further notice."

"Wait! No!"

_"Yoroi Kekkai no Jutsu_."

"Shinranshin no Jutsu!"

Neji's blood ran cold. Everything appeared to move in slow motion as he turned his head and _prayed_ that Ino wasn't standing as close to him as she sounded.

She wasn't. The blonde was still relatively far away, stuck in a rectangular chakra barrier with Fujiwara.

It would be many days later before it occurred to him how horrified he'd been when he thought she was right behind him.

Around him, the possessed shinobi were fighting each other. For now, his relief mutated into fury and he glared at the mindwalker with all the rage he could muster. Didn't he explicitly tell her not to get involved with the fight? His voice boomed across the area.

"I gave you a direct order, Yamanaka!"

Ino didn't even flinch.

"And this is me not giving a damn, _Hyuuga_. You'd be harmless as a spoon if it weren't for me right now. The one on your right was aiming for your blindspot."

The Hyuuga kept his glare for another second before quickly disposing of the last few enemies with his kunai. The danger now resolved, Shingo released the barrier holding the prisoner and the one around himself and Neji walked their captive over to his teammates. He said nothing as he shoved the man down to his knees for Ino to interrogate, but when Ino caught his eyes, she heard the thought he projected.

_Never do that again._

* * *

After getting the information they'd needed, the team set out on their way to Konoha, moving quickly through the bamboo again to avoid the remaining traps in the forest. It was a few hours from daybreak but the sky didn't seem to be getting any lighter and all three of them could feel the precipitation building in the air. It would rain soon.

Ino winced as she flew past columns of emerald and touched two fingers to her temple again, applying soothing chakra. Again, it did nothing to placate the monstrous headache ravaging her brain and she almost groaned from a mixture of frustration and pain. This was the cost of using Shinranshin and Shintenshin twice only minutes apart of each other, and Ino was feeling the full effect. Noticing Fujiwara starting to slow beside her, Ino decided it was a good time to declare that a break was needed. She voiced her _medical opinion_ that Shingo needed rest due to the excessive stress placed on his body from earlier and Neji relented, picking out an area for them to make camp in close to Rice Country's borders.

Ino took a seat on the dirt, leaning her back against a tree and inclining her head, trying to alleviate pain. She was about to try a third attempt to erase the headache when she felt two cool fingertips on her forehead. Opening her eyes, she saw Neji staring placidly back at her.

"This is distracting you."

With a start, she realized her migraine was retreating. _How did he do that?_ Distantly, thunder rumbled a warning and a tepid breeze swept by.

"You know medical jutsu?"

He shook his head, retracting his fingers.

"That wasn't part of a medic's skillset. I didn't heal you, I shut off your localized pain receptors."

"...oh. Thanks."

He nodded and took a seat near her. Fujiwara stretched out belly to the ground, using his arms for pillows. The first drops of rain kissed their skin.

* * *

Neji had easily agreed to Ino's request for a break, sensing his teammates were in need of one but mildly irritated that Ino was using Shingo as a scapegoat when she was obviously the one who was worse off. Why couldn't she just tell him that _she_ needed to rest? Did she really think he would deny her something that was absolutely practical? Did he really come off as that uncompromising? And then he'd looked over at her and there she was, sitting there in silent agony, knuckles almost going white on the hands kept tensely at her sides. So he'd had to come over and do _something_ because obviously she was never going to say anything. And then he'd looked at her face.

Really, carefully, _looked_ at her.

Puzzling little woman that she was with all of her childlike qualities, up close Ino looked nothing like a child and _very much_ like a woman. His earlier conclusion about her was utterly wrong and he was thrown right back to the question he'd started with.

Why did he feel so protective of her?

* * *

Ino snuck glances at the Hyuuga as he meditated, the rain coming down more steadily and making mud out of the dirt they lounged in. It amazed her, how his near-blank expression actually held so many nuances that were easily missed. And how Neji's eyes looked pearly white in broad daylight, lavender in dim lighting, and resembled small silvery moons at night. Caught in her contemplation, every so often she'd stare too long and his eyes would slip open, making her avert her gaze on reflex. But inevitably she'd find her eyes being drawn right back to him, admiring his quiet grace and beauty. As the light rain turned into a downpour and began soaking the three of them to the bone, Ino was forced to come to terms with the fact that the way she was looking at Neji was not entirely platonic.

_It's attraction. It's a fact that Neji's gorgeous. It's only attraction._

Her inner voice quickly affixed a label to the situation, but in the corners of her mind she already knew that life was screwing her over because it was a lie, it was more than simple attraction and had been for a _while_. She'd finally grown up, patched her friendship with Sakura and gotten over Sasuke and now the Powers That Be were showing her another amazing guy that she couldn't have.

Ino prayed for the day when she'd become a good enough kunoichi to believe her own lies.

* * *

**Longwinded A / N : I know, some of you are probably going WTF again at Ino seeming weak (again). There's an explaination for this, though I can't promise you'll like it. It's a matter of what Ino's strongest qualities are, and I don't think her strengths are brute force like Sakura or exceptional intellect like Shikamaru. For me, Ino's strengths lie in stealth, interrogation, and deception, so that's how I'm portraying her. I don't think a ninja has to be ridiculously (physically) strong to be considered tough or extrordinary. (And trust me, it was hard to NOT make this a Power!Ino fic) There are different kinds of ninjas in the Narutoverse and many of them are quite powerful without being AnBu or anything, so please don't be upset. Also, no, she won't be getting owned in every single mission she goes on nor will she always be 'doing nothing'. It just seems to happen that way when she's on missions with Neji, you'll see later that she kicks butt when nobody's trying to protect her. And finally, yeah, Neji is chivalrous, I know.**

**Edit: I have single-handedly effed up my own story. Gods. In uploading this chapter, I messed up chapter 5 and its showing ch6 twice. And i don't have any backup on my harddrive =o No copies anywhere. So if any of you are the kind of fans who like to print out stories or screenshot or have any cached versions, for the love of Naruto please send them to me T_T**


	9. Chapter 9

**Ricochet**

"Are you sure, Ino?"

He studied the material in his large hands, tracing the pattern with his eyes and mentally debating if such simple design was enough to divert attention from it's vibrant burgundy color. Ino flashed him a confident smile and nodded.

"Of course I'm sure, Chouji. Have I ever steered you wrong? Dark red looks great on you."

He relaxed, grateful to have such a fashionable person for a best friend. Every year he outgrew last year's yukata, so every year she enthusiastically went shopping with him for a new one. And every year, she would just _happen_ to buy herself a new yukata too. Just because. Something caught her eye and Ino tugged him behind her towards the women's fabric section. She singled out a swath of material depicting iridescent swans over a white, pale yellow, and lavender background and picked it up, holding it reverntly in her hands. It far surpassed last year's powder blue yukata with silver stars, and Ino was almost giddy with the thrill of finding it. She signalled for one of the shop attendants to come over.

"Yes, Yamanaka-san?"

Of course, being someone who knew nothing of the word _budget_, Ino was well-known to the staff.

"We'll be taking these two. The usual five yards for me and this time twelve for Chouji. Can you make them overnight? I know it's kind of last minute this year..."

"I'm sure we can make it happen, Yamanaka-san."

Ino knew that meant the shop would give hers and Chouji's order prority, putting all other works in progress aside until theirs were finished. It paid to be a favorite among their patrons. She picked out a pale yellow obi to match her yukata and they paid the attendant in advance, leaving the store. Chouji's stomach rumbled and he glanced at a curry restaurant across the street hungrily.

"You hungry, Ino? I'll treat."

"Nah, you go on without me. I have to go see if I can _find_ Shikamaru's yukata so he'll have something to wear tomorrow. You know he'll show up in uniform if I don't."

Chouji nodded, that was something that would be very Shikamaru-like. And knowing his other best friend, the yukata the Nara had for the past three years was probably still crumbled at the bottom of a closet from when he threw it there last year. Ino would have to find it for his mother Yoshino to iron it so Shikamaru could wear it and then _maybe_ Ino would be happy. If Shikamaru wasn't grumpy, maybe. Team Ten had always operated with a secondary objective of keeping Ino happy, they weren't about to change that now. He waved as she took off down the street and almost immediately the shadow the store casted around him darkened. The heavyset ninja chuckled.

"You know, your room will look like a war zone once she's done going through it. Wouldn't it be easier to meet her there and try to help?"

Shikamaru stepped out of the shadows, fishing a cigarette and lighter from his vest pouches.

"Better to let Ino be Ino. If I try to help, I'll just be in her way."

"You're avoiding her."

Shikamaru shrugged, fixing the lit cigarette between his lips. "She's got that look in her eye again. She's started to _like_ somebody."

Chouji shook his head, disappointed.

"Why do you disappear every time Ino gets a new boyfriend? She hasn't said anything, but she notices."

It was true. Like a mirage in the desert, Shikamaru vanished into thin air each time Ino had a new love interest. Ino asked Chouji once why Shikamaru did that. He couldn't giver her an answer.

The lazy nin slid his hands into his pockets and shifted his weight from one foot to the other.

"I'm tired of seeing her heart get broken. She always picks the guy with a pretty face and a bad attitude."

He had a point there. Every since Ino's first love had joined the darkside, each guy afterward had been dark-haired, extremely skilled, and didn't give a damn about her. A person would have to be blind not to notice the pattern. Being close as brothers to her, both Chouji and Shikamaru had tried at different times to point that fact out to Ino, but she got defensive about it and they had to swallow their protests.

"Ino's tough. If this one breaks her heart too, she'll bounce back. She always does."

_Always_. In mathematics, "always" was a perfect word, an absolute certainty. Two plus two is four and you can't divide by zero. When it came to Ino however, Shikamaru liked to say that she was _consistently inconsistent_. There was no "always" with Ino.

Shikamaru took a long drag and exhaled loudly, staring up at the darkening clouds. He couldn't put his finger on it, but something told him that this time would be different. And not in a good way.

* * *

Tenten smiled at her reflection in the mirror as she finished tying the obi around her yukata, pride sweeping through her. Thank goodness for yukata being far simpler to put on than _furisode_, she didn't think she could handle the shame of calling for help and being dressed again. It had been more than a decade since she last attended a festival, Team Gai always seemed to be deployed whenever the year's festivals rolled around, and likewise the past two years Neji had been away for them. This would be the first time she would get to enjoy a Konoha festival with her husband. She had busied herself the previous night rumaging around in the closets locating Neji's informal yukata and laid it out for tonight. She had even prepared his bath for him an hour ago to put him in good spirits for the night. Now, she heard him moving in the livingroom and abandoned her reflected self to help him put on his yukata, immensely pleased with herself for remembering.

Her pleasure was doused when she saw he'd beat her to it already, every fold meticulously placed in order as the dark material covered his form perfectly in testament to his expertise. She couldn't help but to mope a little as she re-brushed his hair and re-tied it at his back, the only thing he hadn't done yet.

"Something is troubling you." he stated softly, just loud enough to reach Tenten's ears. It wasn't until times like these that she realized how quiet the house was with just the two of them.

"No, it's nothing."

She denied it like always, never quite having the courage to admit it when something affected her. All her life she had been taught to be tough-as-nails and impervious to matters of emotion, to the extent that it wasn't until age seventeen after five years of lovesick suffering that she could confess her feelings to Neji, and sharing her moods freely still took some prodding.

Neji was aware of this. Though he'd been caught by surprise with his teammate's confession years ago, in the time since he had learned much about the inner workings of Tenten's outward self. Her sense of logic had always been so _linear_, almost masculine, that he had sometimes pondered if she, unlike other kunoichi, had considered her gender to be a disadvantage rather than an advantage. He found himself at times having to reassure her that she was fine the way she was, that she didn't need to hide things about herself she considered to be points of weakness and that it was perfectly fine to tell him her thoughts, he would never scorn her for them. She was his _wife_, and he hoped that one day she'd fully understand all of what that meant.

"Tell me."

He led her around the front of him with a gentle grasp on her arm, beckoning her to look him in the face. He saw shame in her eyes when she did.

Tenten felt stupid. Her moping over something so inconsequential had caught Neji's notice and now he was concerned; he wasn't going to let the night pass without an explaination. She almost wanted to lie, to make something up that sounded worthy of moping over, but he always knew immediately whenever she tried to be dishonest with him.

"...I wasn't able to dress you like I should have."

He put a hand on her cheek, his own way of trying to comfort her.

"Why would you care about such trivialities? Tenten, I don't hold you accountable for-"

"It's not trivial. It matters to me! I feel like I can never do anything for you, you're always two steps ahead of me."

He tilted her chin upward, placating her with a soft kiss. Trying to remind her that she didn't have to catch up to him; she already had him.

"You do enough for me."

_I do enough?_

It was a far cry from what Neji's thirteen or even fifteen year old self would have ever said. "Enough" was practically a taboo word among Team Gai, because _good enough_ was never good enough. Your aim was never to be _good enough_, but to be the benchmark everyone else measured themselves against. Neji had never been one to accept bare minimum performance, but then again, his standards were only set for himself.

He never cared to set expectations for anyone else.

It was jarring, to recognize that there was a very high chance that Neji _never expected anything in return from her_. She didn't know whether to feel relieved of having to meet what would surely be impossibly high standards, or insulted that he didn't even bother. What did it mean to "do enough" for someone? Was there even such a thing? Neji kissed her again, and Tenten tried to shut off her mind's over-analyzing. There'd be time for reading into things later, for now she wanted to enjoy this rare night.

As the pair left the house and walked down streets decked in bright lights and streamers weaving through throngs of people, Neji tried to piece together exactly what was wrong with his wife. She had answered him when he asked, but he was left with the feeling that the issue was deeper than she was letting on. Even now, walking beside him, she was pretending as if everything were fine and that bothered him more than her open moping earlier. He had meant to relax her by kissing her earlier, like he always did, but it seemed to have no effect this time. In the early days of their relationship, all it would take was a kiss for Tenten to forget her troubles but now it looked as though her worries had outgrown the remedy of mere kisses. If anything, instead of relaxing her the kiss had convinced her to bottle her feelings up. He held her hand just a little tighter in his and wondered why it felt like she was so far away.

* * *

Shikamaru was stunned. Really, really stunned. He'd seen Ino everyday for most of his life, seen her in various states of undress, and seen her in yukatas every year for the festival but he'd never seen her look quite like _this_. Never seen bossy little Ino look quite so exquisite. Refined. The yukata wrapped around her body elegantly, the light colors signalling her youthfulness and the expensive material announcing her tastes. She had forgone the tradition _tabi _socks, painted toes resting on her high wooden _geta_ normal girls struggled to walk in and a dainty anklet making a tinkling noise with every step she took. But most of all, it was her face that took his breath away. Traditionally, every year Ino had gone full-throttle with the makeup and pinned her hair up in elaborate styles with various pieces of decorative hair jewelry. This year, Ino had scaled back and was somehow more beautiful for it. There was a pale pink gloss adorning her lips and light makeup on her eyes, but her skin was otherwise natural. Adding to her natural beauty, Ino left her hair down, cascading down her back and framing the sides of her face in long, loose barrel curls. Shikamaru had always known Ino was lovely, but knowing the fact and _actually noticing_ it were two completely different things.

He tore his gaze away from her to check Chouji's expression and felt more at ease seeing his buddy every bit as speechless as he was. Ino just had that effect on people, when she wanted to, and apparently even even life-long friends weren't immune to her.

Ino, of course, looked extremely pleased with their reactions.

"I took your advice this year, Shikamaru. So no complaints about me fixing my hair every five minutes, 'kay?"

He nodded dumbly, eyes skimming the full image of her once more. _Why don't you quit doing all of that stuff to your hair? It takes forever, you have to fix it every five minutes, and only other girls notice anyway._ From the looks of her now, it was the best damn advice he'd ever given her. If he'd known she was going to listen, he would've said something even earlier. Women.

Chouji extended a hand to help Ino down the two steps in front of her door. She didn't really need the help, but Chouji had become a gentleman over the years to make up for Shikamaru's apathy. Ino gave the both of them a quick look-over as she reached their side and, satisfied with the boys' appearence, the three companions walked to the heart of the village where music filled the air and people filled the streets.

For a while, the three of them joined a crowd watching _miko_ perform the _kagura_ dance. That is, until Ino's sweettooth demanded they visit the sweets stalls. Chouji branched off to see a deep-fry station and Ino bought herself some _taikoyaki_ and some _dango_ for Shikamaru, which he accepted with a frown. Ino knew full well he didn't like sweets and smiled deviously at him as she bit her treat. He'd have to toss his when she wasn't looking. Funny, how so much time had passed and yet there were moments when it felt like they were all still twelve. He could picture them at age fifty, battle-worn and graying hair, an impish old Ino still dragging him to festivals and buying him sweets. He looked around and counted five sets on hungry eyes zoomed in on Ino. Two of the guys already had girlfriends clinging to their arms.

Yeah, some things would never change.

The music playing died down and the crowds began to shift in different directions. Ino turned to shadow-nin excitedly.

"Shika, the fireworks are about to start! Go find Chouji and get us some sparklers, I'm going to go find us a spot."

He envied her, he really did. After a certain mission the InoShikaCho team had gone on some years back that ended in massive explosions, Shikamaru could never look at fireworks quite the same way again. He had his suspicions Chouji couldn't either, but Ino somehow managed not to have made the association between the launching of colored fire in the sky and the accidental destruction of a shelter holding civillians. Her eyes still shone like those of a person who'd never spilled blood, despite that being far from the truth, and he hoped they kept shining for as long as they could.

"Aa. Let us know when you find it."

He turned away from her, handing his sweets to a child passing by as his back disappeared into the crowd.

* * *

"Hyuuga-san, please have some of our _karaage_."

"Oh, Hyuuga-san! Would you like some of our _toumorokoshi_?"

"Here, taste our special _yakitori_ recipe, Hyuuga-san."

The odd sensation of being treated like nobility was more overwhelming with each patron they passed offering free samples in exchange for a few seconds of their attention. Tenten's humble smile was starting to feel strained and she grew more self-aware as it became increasingly clear that any anonymity she used to have was extinct. It was...disturbing. Having her name known throughout Konoha had been Tenten's dream, and now she was definitely recognized all over the village. And it bothered her. Not because she was well-known, but because she was known as Hyuuga Tenten.

Being a member of the Hyuuga clan had eclipsed her personal identity entirely.

Few of the food vendors even remembered that she was once a kunoichi. Many never knew she was one in the first place. To the lot of them, she was simply the brown-eyed Hyuuga who'd obviously married into the clan. She wondered how many of them would recognize her were she not standing next to her husband. Tenten inclined her head to look up at Neji and he glanced back at her automatically, mildly curious at her sudden interest in his face. He lifted an eyebrow and her eyes lowered, shifting away from his. Out of the corner of her eye, she spied a stand selling blankets halfway down the street. With the crowd surging towards them in anticipation of the firework display, it would take a good couple of minutes to get there. Tenten perked up.

"Neji, go find us a spot. I'll get a blanket so we can sit down."

_I'm sorry. I just need a little space right now. I'll be right back._

The lantern lights started to dim as the white-eyed jounin watched his wife blend into the crowd, a feeling of unease making him tense. He wasn't sure what, but something had wound Tenten up enough for her to retreat. Without him. He supposed that meant that she needed some time alone.

His eyes trailed away from the pale green of her kimono as he started to pay attention to the flow of human traffic, watching the people seperate and flock to the more common areas of viewing. He paid extra attention to the shinobi in attendance as they moved for locations inacessible to civillians but fully populated by other shinobi. Almost every comfortable position his eye landed on, there was a horde of people already there. The smallest group he could spot numbered in the dozens.

The hospital, academy, and administration roofs were full. The Hokage Tower was full. The Hokage _monument_ was full. Any form of privacy would have to be bought with some creativity, and that meant forgetting about the taller, more open spots and looking for places that were smaller and more secluded. Places people didn't think of during festivals. Places that might hold dark memories.

The memory of the chuunin exams surfaced in Neji's mind and he instantly had an idea of where to go: _the battle arena._

The open-roofed structure had imposing height, offered an unblocked view, and the sky could be watched either from a seat inside or the upper edge of the edifice. It was perfect. He walked up the side of it, pleased with his clever reasoning skills.

It seemed great minds thought alike.

A quarter of the way around from him was a sight he wasn't entirely prepared for. To come across someone else atop the battle arena was one thing, but Yamanaka Ino in all her ethereal glory and bathed in moonlight was something that could make even the most hardened of hearts waver. Neji was awestruck. Almost against his will his eyes devoured her, taking in the perfect picture she made framed by the night sky as if committing the image to memory. On a bad day Ino was pretty, that much was simple fact. At that moment in time however...she was the most hypnotic thing he'd ever laid eyes on. He couldn't have looked away even if he'd wanted to, focus training be damned.

Sensing eyes on her, Ino turned and beamed at the dazed prodigy.

"Aw, so much for my secret spot. You clean up nice! I think this is the first time I've seen you in something not splattered with blood."

His lips spread in a soft smirk. _She_ was complimenting _him_? She had to know how good she looked, she was Ino after all; _vanity incarnate_. But he'd play along in her game if that was what she wanted, just for the moment. Just because he so rarely interacted with people outside of missions.

"Fishing for compliments?"

"Depends. You taking the bait?"

"Are you flirting with me, Yamanaka?"

"Are you _joking_ with me, Hyuuga?"

"I asked first."

Ino laughed, caught up in the carefree atmosphere. She'd never known Neji to be so casual, never known this side of him existed. The superhuman Konoha warrior was human after all.

"You can't call _that_ flirting, it's an insult to my skills. I could do much better."

She crossed her arms under her bust in a mock challenge daring him to say otherwise, but she was soon distracted as the first of the fireworks screamed through the air painting the sky in vivid bursts of color. Ino spun around to watch, no longer noticing the eyes that were still firmly locked on her.

_You look lovely._ The words dangled on the edge of his lips, but he caught himself before they could tumble out. He was getting carried away, off-duty or not Ino was still someone he often worked with and whom he needed to maintain a professional association. He had no business being so familiar with her. He had no business being so familiar with _any_ woman; the blonde was getting far too comfortable with him. As if awakening from a daydream he snapped back to his senses. Why was he standing here with Ino instead of Tenten?

Tenten.

Upon remembering his wife he'd expected to feel guilty. Instead, he felt strangely guilt-free. She had wanted space and he was letting her have that space. There was nothing to be ashamed about from simply enjoying someone else's company in her absence.

...right?

* * *

**A / N : Sorry for the obscene lateness, rewrote this chappie from scratch six times 'cause I wasn't happy (still feels patchwork-y). Anyway, I've been working on other chapters of Ricochet during the weeks I deprived you and I ended up adding even more chapters (in summarized form for now, of course) There is just SO much to this story, I was planning to have it finished by September, but now I'm thinking December at best. Right now, the total count is 24 chapters and a bonus/alternate ending. About this chapter: I tried to do a little more fleshing out of the NejiTen versus NejiIno dynamics so you could see how the relationships are different. All the festival terms can been wiki'd if you're not familiar with Japanese customs. Also, ch11 is written, so soon as I start and complete ch10 I'll post them simultaneously to make up for this chapter's lateness.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Ricochet**

The Godaime Hokage's honey brown eyes gleamed in satisfaction as she regarded the makeshift team in front of her. They really were perfect for this kind of mission - a job requiring excellent tracking skills and brute strength - if not an odd combination. Kiba and Akamaru could find anything that had a smell or left footprints, Naruto was certifiably one of Konoha's strongest shinobi and Tsunade was especially pleased with the team's leader, Hyuuga Neji. As the most talented member of his clan who completed mission after mission effectively and with a failure rate of zero, he was quickly becoming a favorite of hers.

"Baa-chan, can I be leader this time?" Naruto spoke up, hopeful at the woman he'd looked to as a mother-figure since he was thirteen.

Her eyes darkened. "No."

The orange ninja looked genuinely crestfallen. "But why not? I can take on anyone, and you know it! I'd make a great leader."

"You're still technically a genin."

Naruto grumbled. He was beyond tired of hearing that excuse - a multi-village chuunin exam hadn't been held in years, but that didn't mean gennin were no longer being promoted. And everyone knew Naruto was more than qualified to be promoted. Kiba looked sympathetic for him. Neji patiently waited for their instructions.

"But Baa-chan..."

Tsunade sighed. Somehow, she was always a sucker when it came to the last Uzumaki.

"Not this time. This is a B rank mission. The next C rank I assign you, I'll let you lead."

That was good enough for Naruto, and he whooped in victory. Tsunade had second thoughts about making such a promise, Koharu and Homura would give her hell about it, but she pushed them to the back of her mind. For now, she looked at the Hyuuga again.

"Listen up, your mission is..."

* * *

The sound of a coffee mug being harshly set on the table had Ino jumping out of reflex, her alertness flooding back to her and tired eyes cracking open. She hadn't even realized she'd drifted off. In front of her a cheery face from her childhood smiled warmly.

"Rise and shine, Ino-pig. It's not break time yet."

Ino huffed, inconspicuously stretching her legs behind the table and casually taking a sip of the already-cooling coffee. With the exception of long-term missions, it was required of her as a medic to report in for hospital duty for two shifts out of the week. _Medicine is a living science_, said the Godaime Hokage, _you have to keep your skills current_. And _of course_ she got stuck with the morning rotation and _of course _Sakura would be a morning person. Hair that bright pink practically demanded that she have a sunny disposition - cherryblossoms favored the morning light.

Cosmos flowers preferred the afternoon.

Sakura fumbled in her pocket and pulled out a small packaged bun, offering it to Ino. The blonde recognized it as the favorite snack of the morning crew: a healthy pastry specially made to give an energy boost with over thirty vitamins and absolutely zero taste. Ino declined, and the pink haired medic slipped it back into her pocket. Ino scrunched up her nose and looked pointedly at the coffee mug still in her hands.

"Who made the brew this morning? Tastes like...sweat and mud."

She brought it back to her face to sniff it and Sakura did the same, shrugging afterwards.

"Dunno, but it's instant. And I guess the milk's gone sour."

Ino set it down and pushed it out of the way to be poured out later. Sakura sat on a corner of the desk, amusement playing across her features.

"You're so high-maintenance, Ino-pig. I don't know how Shikamaru and Neji deal with you. What with your morning grouchiness and all."

"_Chouji_ thinks I have a wonderful personality."

"_Chouji_ also thinks that feral wolves are cute."

"I fail to see your point, Forehead." Ino flipped her bangs out of her face in exaggeration, leaning her chin into her palm and pursing her lips haughtily. Sakura rolled her eyes.

"_Sure you do_. Anyway, what's it like working with the great Hyuuga Neji?"

Ino blew air and arched an eyebrow. "Overrated. Don't get me wrong, he gets the job done, definitely. His people skills however..."

Sakura crossed her arms under he bustline. "Oh? Is he not bending over backwards to fetch you a decent cup of coffee and a high horse to sit on?"

Unfazed, Ino flipped her wrist in a vague gesture. "Hm, that too. You'd think that getting married would've taught him a thing or two about women."

"Yeah, he's so..._withdrawn_. Kind of like how Sasuke was. Never lets anyone in."

Ino blanched. It wasn't that the comment surprised her, far from it. Many times on her first few missions with the Hyuuga, she'd compared his glacial demeanor to that of the last Uchiha. In fact, that was what had made it almost bearable to be around him in the beginning, before she got to know him better. Now she knew the two prodigies couldn't be more different from one another in every aspect from reasoning to tolerance levels. Now, _Ino_ understood that Neji and Sasuke were different - appreciated it, even - but that didn't mean everyone else did, let alone how most people _felt_ about the similarities.

She hoped Sakura didn't find the likeness appealing; being "withdrawn" had been one of the qualities that had drawn both of them to Sasuke to begin with. Before she could catch herself, remind herself that Neji was married and it was unlikely that Sakura would make any kind of move on him, Ino felt the familiar sense of fear curling in the pit of her stomach. She loved Sakura much like a little sister (_still_; in spite of recognizing her as an equal) but she couldn't help but to recall how Sakura had taken on something of a complex early in their childhood relationship. If Ino decided to wear a frilly skirt, Sakura would wear a frilly skirt. When she decided to grow her hair out, Sakura grew her hair out.

When she fell in love with Sasuke, Sakura fell in love with him too.

It wasn't intentional, Ino understood that much: Sakura had just admired her and it was completely natural to imitate a person you admired, and eventually Sakura had developed similar tastes to her because of that. But while the two of them had reconciled and buried the proverbial hatchet that was their rivalry, Ino had never entirely recovered from the sting of that fall out, could never quite trust the girl as closely as she used to. In the back of her mind, a paranoid voice warned _she wants everything you have_. And any shinobi worth their hitae-ate knew the golden rule of keeping friends close and enemies closer. Even though they were nineteen now and 'all grown up', Ino had the urge to make clear the unpleasantries of dealing with the Hyuuga.

To make him as unappealing as possible.

"He's a control freak too. Things always have to be done how he says and when he says so. He's so anal, he makes Yamato look like a slacker."

Sakura giggled. Ino hadn't meant to make her _giggle_.

"That's what makes him such a good team captain though. You should listen to him, you might learn something."

"Pfft. Learn how to make people piss themselves with just a glare, maybe."

Sakura's face smoothed into an expression Ino recognized as a sort of playful interest.

"You always liked guys with the intimidation factor. In fact, isn't Neji exactly your type?"

Ino's mood soured that much more. Was it just her, or was this discussion going terribly awry? The more she tried to redirect her friend's thinking, the more the green eyed beauty zeroed in like a shark smelling fresh blood.

"Oi! What're you two doing in here? Gossiping?"  
A third voice cut into their conversation, coming from a dark haired woman standing in the doorway.  
"The trickle of patients is starting to pick up. Please get back to work, Haruno-san. Yamanaka-san."

"Yes, Oyone-san."  
"Yes, Oyone-san."

The senior medic vacated the doorway and disappeared into the hallway. Sakura slid off of the desk and Ino stood up, both heading for the door to go fulfill their day's duties.

* * *

Bright copper bangs nearly hid a pair of chestnut brown eyes Neji could feel staring at him from across the room. For the whole ten minutes he had been seated since being dragged into the bar by his teammates, the young woman had locked him in her sights and hadn't let him leave her gaze since. It was only a matter of time, he knew, before she realized that he would make no move to approach her and took matters into her own hands. At the twenty minute mark, the girl stood up and strutted over to his table. Neji was thankful there were only three seats; Kiba and Naruto occupying the other two.

"You guys hold your liquor pretty well."

Naruto and Kiba looked up, just noticing her after being fully engrossed in a conversation involving Akamaru's chances versus Kakashi's ninja dog summons. The girl paid them no mind, her attention directed soley at Neji, who pointed at his half-full glass of crimson liquid.

"This is cranberry juice."

Had the three of them actually been drinking alcohol, the table would be full of empty glasses and they _still_ wouldn't be drunk, but that was beside the point. Anyone who regularly frequented a bar would recognize a non-alcoholic beverage instantly. Either this girl wasn't a regular, or she just didn't know her drinks. Going by her appearence, Neji judged she was the latter. She looked like the kind of girl who would only sip diluted, fruity-tasting drinks.

Copper Hair was undeterred, smiling at him like he hadn't just shut down her attempt at conversation.

"Is that your favorite flavor?" She leaned in, close to his ear and all three men stiffened in reflex from having their personal space invaded. "I know a great recipe for a mixed drink with cranberries. Would you like to come to my room to try it?"

Dog-like hearing picking up the invitation, Kiba snickered and leaned back into his chair, taking a gulp from his glass. Naruto followed suit, sensing the woman was no threat. He didn't know what joke Kiba was laughing at, but since he relaxed things must've been safe. Neji finally made eye contact with his admirer.

"I am married."

"I don't mind."

The Hyuuga's eyes narrowed and his voice dropped in warning.

"Nothing of you interests me."

Copper Hair frowned and her heels clicked loudly as she stomped away with her dignity in shambles. As soon as she was out of earshot, Naruto exclaimed.

"Wow, Neji! You resisted an offer from _her_? She's almost as pretty as Sakura-chan."

The blonde looked at Neji with childlike astonishment in his eyes while Kiba snorted.

"She's pretty alright, but Neji works with Angel Face, remember? He's probably immune to regular chicks."

It had escaped Neji's attention until that point that he was partnered often enough with the Yamanaka that some people automatically assumed they did all of their missions together. Probably the only two shinobi that were teamed together more often than them were Kotetsu and Izumo.

Neji arched a brow. "_Angel Face?_"

"Ino. Blonde girl, kinda short. Smells like wilderness and danger." Akamaru barked from under the table and Kiba nodded in agreement. "And lillies."

"You've been sniffing her?"

"When you got a nose good as mine and Akamaru's, it ain't a choice. And in the spring she puts that honeysuckle stuff in her hair and it's...!" , he smiled at the memory and paused, trying to find the words and failing. "She's a knockout. Asked her out once; she turned me down flat."

Naruto gasped and pointed at Kiba in disbelief. "You asked Ino-chan out on a date? What the hell, Kiba?"  
Kiba shrugged, smiling. Naruto's eyes narrowed.  
"You didn't ask Sakura-chan out, did you?"

"Hell no. She hits harder than a man! I like my face."

Naruto calmed down, his feelings completely transparent as he visibly relaxed then turned to Neji.

"Oi, Neji, how come you spend so much time with Ino-chan anyway?"

"I don't _'spend so much time with her'_, we work together."

Naruto put on his suspicious face, and even Kiba looked like he didn't quite believe that was all that was going on. Akamaru made a low sound and Kiba pat his head.

"Akamaru's right. You don't spend that much time with someone that _smokin' hot_ and have a work-only relationship. It goes against nature."

Neji took a sip of his drink and fought to keep irritation at bay. "I am married."

Kiba snorted. "Marriage doesn't blind a man. Che,_ I_ wouldn't blame you. Put a steak in front of a man, and he'll eat it even if he ain't hungry."

Naruto had no idea what Kiba was talking about, but now that the conversation was started, he really wanted to know. "Well, how come you _work together_ so often?"

Neji was starting to wish he'd been paired with Shino and Iruka instead of two of the loudest members of the Rookie Nine.

"The teams are decided by Hokage-sama. If we work together often, it is because Hokage-sama feels we work well together."

It made perfect sense when one thought about it long enough. One on hand there was Neji with excellent offensive moves, inpenetrable defensive moves, prime tracking skills and superior judgement. On the other hand there was Ino with high competency in all manners of information gathering, sabotage/diversionary tactics, and medical skills, not to mention techniques specific to the Yamanaka clan and practical immunity to genjutsu. Anything Neji couldn't see with his Byakugan or figure out with his genius, Ino could spot using someone else's eyes or extract from someone else's brain. Any fighters that were too much for Ino to handle, Neji could bring down. Any injury Neji couldn't avoid, Ino could heal. One represented an obvious threat while the other was an ace in the hole. They were complementary in every way - the kind of synergy shinobi dreamed about having - and together they easily devastated their enemies. Really, it was a wonder the Hyuuga-Yamanaka combination hadn't been done in previous generations.

Kiba rolled his eyes. If there was anything the Inuzukas were experts on, it was matters of instinct and nature. His nose was telling him something was brewing and after years of honing his senses for battle, his nose was never wrong. The Hyuuga might not see anything coming, but Kiba could smell trouble from a mile away. _Let him learn the hard way._

"If you say so, man."

* * *

"Allright, Serizawa-kun. That should do the trick. Promise me you'll wait for your sensei to teach you the tree-walking skill before you try that again."

Ino peered down the young gennin, dislocated shoulder now carefully wrapped in a bandage to keep it from slipping back out of place. He tried to put on a brave face and pretend the injury didn't hurt, but she noticed how even though he kept that arm as stiff as he could at his side, he still winced as he hopped off of the high examination table. He muttered something that sounded suspiciously like 'I don't need his help' as he exited, grasping feebly at the remnants of his pride. Ino pushed the door open further once he was gone, signalling her availability for the next patient. A few minutes later an unexpected face walked in, limping, and Ino had to help her onto the table. She smelled of singed hair and sweat, and Ino instantly noticed the burn holes on her clothes and burn _marks_ on her skin. First degree burns, Ino noted, and she turned to reach the antibiotic ointment and wrapping bandages from the shelves.

"Just back from a mission, Hanabi-chan?"

She nodded, dark hair falling into her eyes. She was the quiet type, the Yamanaka suddenly remembered, but decided to make small talk with her anyway as she carefully tended to the burns.

"Did your enemy have a fire element chakra nature?"

Hanabi shook her head. "No. There was oil. And then, fire. A diversionary tactic I was unable to avoid."

"_Ah._" Ino understood now, she had been wondering why there was no distinct pattern to the burns. Now she could tell that there was one - a loose liquid spray pattern from where the oil must have hit her. Her clothes had likely ignited when she came too close to the fire that came afterwards. "In that case, you did pretty well. None of your burns are severe."

Hanabi's gaze drifted from Ino's hands to the floor.

"Nii-san would have avoided it. I was careless."

Ino stopped as she finished wrapping part of the girl's arm and looked her in the face. She sympathized for her, living in her cousin's shadow and being looked at almost exclusively as just an alternate for her older sister. Being held to standards much too impractical for someone her age. Being trained for everything from shinobihood to Hyuuga leadership yet being promised nothing for certain.

"You made a misjudgement and you've already recognized that and learned your lesson. Mistakes will happen, Hanabi. You're entitled to them, you know. That's how you learn. Even Neji makes mistakes."

Hanabi looked up then, studying Ino's face with a level gaze as she considered her words.

"Entitled?"

"Yes. Entitled."

Hanabi's face softened and Ino went back to tending to her injuries. They lapsed into silence for several minutes until Hanabi broke it when the medic had finished the last wrap.

"I've never seen him look at anyone like that."

Ino looked at her questioningly, not catching the change in subject. Hanabi met her gaze evenly.

"Neji. I've never seen him look at anyone the way he looked at you that day."

Ino broke eye contact, hiding her surprise by turning her back to put away the extra bandage wraps and ointment. She knew what Hanabi meant the 'training incident' and she had never seen that expression on Neji's face before either. She couldn't even tell what it was exactly that crossed his features, but it was _dark._ Though she wanted to pretend not to understand the Hyuuga's implication, Ino got the feeling that pretending not to know what she was talking about wouldn't work. Hanabi was too straight-forward for that approach, and being fourteen she would notice insincerity immediately. Ino turned back around.

"Neji and I are teammates, Hanabi-chan. That's it."

Hanabi scooted off of the table, nodding in thanks for treating her injuries as she passed by. Ino thought the conversation was over until the young Hyuuga reached the door, half-turning to make one last comment.

"Tenten was his teammate once."

* * *

**A / N : I lied, you has new chapter NOW! I hate dialogue, it's troublesome but necessary for the plot. Next chapter goes back to the action and NejiIno! No Tenten in this chapter because I didn't feel it was necessary. *evil voice* **_**She suspects nothing!**_** How's that steak lookin, Neji-kun? :D Sidenote: How come there's 37 pages of NejiSaku and only 6 pages of NejiIno? Wtf? To my Anons: I wish I could PM you guys =O but anyway, thanks for reviewing and **_**it**_ **is coming (always has been) 'kay?**


	11. Chapter 11

**Ricochet**

"Come in". Tsunade tiredly glanced up from a desk full of loose papers and scrolls she had been slowly making progress with. The interruption was a near-welcome distraction. "Ah, Neji."

"Hokage-sama."

He gave an automatic bow before he approached her desk in smooth, languid strides. His everyday battlewear was missing, in it's place slightly more ornate traditional Hyuuga robes hung on his body and it struck Tsunade then how strong the physical likeness was between Neji and his uncle.

"There is a matter in River Country concerning some property belonging to my clan. Hiashi-sama is rather disinclined to personally resolve this and has deemed me his envoy in substitution. Myself and my wife expect to embark on the journey this evening."

"Hn." The Hokage nodded, soaking up the information. "And this conflict should be resolved fairly quickly?"

"Yes."

"Very well. I approve your departure."

His eyes trailed downward as he gave another, more shallow bow and his gaze settled briefly on the haphazard paperwork on her desk. The closest open scroll was in full view and the information filtered into his brain almost subliminally; key words were processed in milliseconds. _Valley of Bones. Six to ten days. A rank._ And then a single name listed after TEAM MEMBERS caught his eye: _Yamanaka Ino._ There were no other names, and something cold and thick - _dread_, he recognized - coiled in Neji's gut. Yamanaka Ino? A rank? Without him? Nothing good could come of that, she was still too green. She was talented, yes. A born leader, for certain. But ready to solo an A rank mission? Absolutely not. His intuition bellowed at him that he was going to lose his personal Ms. Fix-It if he didn't intervene. He was accustomed to her and she to him and he wasn't about to spend another year weeding through medics and specialists for a suitable replacement. He'd never find another teammate so attuned with his methods and behaviors; lightening wouldn't strike twice.

"May I request a favor, Hokage-sama?"

Mild curiousity lighted in her eyes. "Go on."

"Re-assign the mission in the Valley of Bones. Don't send Yamanaka."

The Sannin's look turned thoughtful and she leaned back in her chair. He imagined that if she were the sort to do so, now would be the time when she'd cross her legs and fold her arms under her bustline.

"Ino is the best available candidate. Your generation has given me some of the best warriors this village has to offer but despite that, not many of you have abilities that are..._subtle_enough for this type of mission. Given the great distance from Konoha this assignment requires, Hinata is out of the question."

Of course she was. There were limits to how far from Fire Country Main House members were allowed.

"And Nara Shikamaru is already deployed. That leaves only Ino. Under the circumstances, why should I honor your request, Hyuuga?"

Neji hesitated, he hadn't planned on defending his request. It was what someone like Shikamaru would've referred to as an _unknown variable_. He blinked slowly, his mind a flurry of thoughts. He could lie to her. Lying was a valuable first defense for any shinobi trying to avoid combat. To a seasoned jounin like him it was second nature, born from years of fabricating cover stories on the fly. He could lie...but why? What was there to lie about? That it irritated him to see Ino injured? That as much as he didn't trust anyone else to defend her vacant body, he violently disapproved of her working alone? That she was the key reason he was so successful with team missions? That she is...

_Why should I honor your request, Hyuuga_?

She is...

He blinked again, still outwardly exemplifying perfect composure that was wholly at odds with his tumultuous emotions. The Hokage was, in effect, asking precisely what it was that made Ino special enough to change her decision to send her. What exactly it was about the situation that affected him. Neji felt a brief moment of blankness while the words his brain had been skillfully denying rolled off of his tongue as matter-of-factly as if he were telling the Godaime that fire was hot.

"She is important to me."

And she was. The thought was sinking in with startling clarity.

Although he'd been unsure of what exactly he'd say until he said it, he'd been half-expecting his answer to be some kind of milestone after which everything in his life could be referred to as either 'pre' or 'post' event. He had questioned himself before why it was that the blonde usurped the lot of his attention and come up blank. Now that he'd been forced to produce an answer he'd expected a revelation, a catalyst, a change. _Something._ He didn't know why. As it were, his answer felt like less of a grand reveal and more of a statement of fact. Perhaps it was. Perhaps that was _all_ it was. So she was important to him? So was his job - which she was a vital component of - and his training, and his clan, and his wife. Ino was just another responsibility, he saw that now. And now she'd been affixed a label and a shelf and carefully constructed rules of interaction. Now that she'd been appropiately classified, he could relax his level of self-awareness around her.

Tsunade's expression hardened considerably. Was _that_ his excuse? She'd known that the bonds of friendship were stronger in the Konoha Eleven than in previous generations, but honestly...business would always take priority over personal sentiments. Maybe she was giving her warriors the wrong impression by indulging Naruto and Sakura in their attempts to bring home Sasuke. Old age was making her soft; it seemed a rebuke was in order.

"She is important to _Konoha_ as well."

Her curt tone left little room for negotiation yet there had to be a way to bargain with her. Anything in the world could be bought, it was simply a matter of price and Neji was not above bartering. Tsunade was a betting woman, and he knew that anytime there existed a way to better her chances, she did. If he offered a solution to the problem caused by her not choosing Ino then she'd be much more receptive to changing her mind. And the ideal solution seemed obvious to him.

"How urgent is this mission?"

The Hokage's eyes swept over the scroll in silent review, fingers trailing over the more uncompromising details. "This needs to be taken care of within the week."

That was all he needed to hear.

"I will return from River Country in three days. If the mission can be delayed until then I will take it myself, Hokage-sama."

Keen eyes weighed his offer; measured it against his value as a tool. A Hyuuga in place of a Yamanaka...it was a fair trade.

"Fine. Three days."

* * *

_He's a tough ol' fart._

Ino pursed her lips as she leaned back from her assigned captive, a hand settling on her slender hip the only outward sign of her frustration. She was losing her patience quicker than usual, and it had nothing to do with the fact that Shiranui Genma disrupted her perfect catnap to summon her for this interrogation. Nope, nothing at all to do with it. She grumbled quietly and took a moment to collect herself, eyes intently planted on her captive as she cooled off. This one was an older man, early to mid-forties she guessed, hard-faced and stubborn as a bloodstain on pure white linen. One of his eyes was swollen shut; a puffy, misshapen souvenir from the fight that had landed him here and she could almost smell the infection setting in on a gash near his neck. That close to a main artery and without immediate medical attention, he'd have two, maybe five days before it turned fatal. Konoha needed to squeeze information out of him before he _expired in captivity_ but he, of course, cared little for what Konoha needed. He lay in an undignified heap on the dirty floor, eyes unfocused in a blank stare as if Ino wasn't even standing there in front of him. No matter what she said to him, his mind remained resolutely focused on an image of grass swaying in the breeze; a mental blocking method. Poor old fool, unaware of quite how pointless his effort was. He'd break by the end of it. When it came to psychological warfare, they always did.

The psychological wounds were always so much harder to heal than the physical ones.

* * *

Tenten stifled a yawn and tried to shift her weight without drawing any attention. The position of sitting with her feet folded primly under her bottom was starting to make her tired feet cramp. If they hadn't been here on Hyuuga-related matters, she would've worn pants and could have sat comfortably cross-legged like her husband at her side. What was it, four o'clock in the morning? It had been some minutes since the small entourage of her, Neji, and two members of the Hyuuga branch house had arrived in River Country. The journey had been relatively short in actuality, but had felt practically endless every since they'd crossed the country's borders and been fully enveloped in the thick fog emanating from a large river running along the main path. This of course had proved no issue for Neji and his distant cousins, but for Tenten it had been an extremely boring trip. Not to mention that she hadn't had to move that fast in the last two years, she was near exhaustion. She'd expected their small group to be led to their sleeping quarters when they arrived and met the watchmen stationed to greet them, but Neji had followed the standard pleseantries with a request to start the meeting immediately. Apparently he was in some kind of rush, and Tenten had no choice but to quietly follow as they were led indoors to get matters taken care of.

Tea had been served to them by a young girl who quickly left the room afterwards and now the six of them - Neji, Tenten, Hyuuga Naoki, Hyuuga Hachirou, and the two businessmen - sat opposite each other at a low table while Neji and one of the businessmen spoke back and forth. Initially, the men had requested that Tenten leave as it was "not a matter that concerned women" but Neji had swiftly refused and the atmosphere had been strained ever since.

"You are speaking in circles, Takenouchi-san." Neji remarked sternly, giving no illusions that this was anything but a business discussion.

Takenouchi denied it, chattering on in his overly cordial _Let's make this work!_ voice and Tenten could see the irritation settling into her husband's features.

"You mean to call me a liar?"

Takenouchi choked, stuttered and fanned himself with one hand. "No, not at all Hyuuga-san!"

"Then explain to me how exactly it is that you saw fit to harvest crops from Hyuuga land without our consent?"

And almost on cue, the grovelling and talk of reparations began and Neji had Takenouchi exactly where he wanted him. Tenten smirked and leaned just a little closer to her husband. Half an hour later, they finally reached a negotiation and the fatigued four withdrew to two rooms to slumber.

* * *

"Shishou!"

With a glare, Tsunade grit her teeth as her original apprentice came barreling through the door into her office, effectively distracting her from her ever-growing pile of paperwork. Just her luck; the one week she actually put effort into getting through more tedious side of her job everyone wants to interrupt her.

"This had better be serious, Shizune."

The warning tone her voice carried made clear that this was not one of her good days. Familiar with her mentor's temper, Shizune got straight to the point.

"It is! We have reports that Iwagakure has added Tsuchiya Takumi to their Bingo Book and will be sending an assassination squad soon. Our time frame for information gathering has been substantially shortened. What do you want to do, Tsunade-sama?"

_Shit._ Something like that was exactly what Tsunade had been hoping wouldn't happen. The situation was urgent now, she couldn't wait on the Hyuuga.

"Pull Yamanaka from interrogation, we're sending her _now_."

* * *

Neji awoke tired and irritable as the evening light creeped into the room. Had he really slept half the day away? It felt like only minutes. Propping himself up on an elbow his eyes fell on Tenten, stirring slightly in the beginning stages of waking up. If he knew her as well as he thought - and he did - she was likely enjoying this trip even less than he was. He'd given her so little attention as of late and still she'd quietly supported him, keeping her frustrations to herself. He owed her for her dedication to him, he really did. She turned towards him, stretching with a quiet groan before her eyes fluttered open and met his gaze. The ex-kunoichi stared at him momentarily before her voice, hoarse with sleep, broke the silence.

"What?"

Hints of a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Nothing."

Tenten rolled her eyes and pushed herself up, leaning in to capture his lips. It was unlike Neji to linger in bed, usually he was up and gone long before she woke up. Part of her wondered if something was wrong. That part was silenced when he deepened the kiss, gently pushing her back until she was pressed into the pillow...

* * *

The Valley of Bones was a seedy area to say the least, not that Ino had been much surprised. The kind of place so run-down and neglected that loyalty could be bought by the highest bidder and when people went missing, well, that was their business. A wet dream for a criminal like Tsuchiya. He could disappear like a needle in a haystack or parade down the streets as the town's high roller. He kept six bodyguards around him at all times, mostly higher-end thugs and one or two ninja academy dropouts if Ino gauged them right. Nothing some well-placed senbon and a chloroform-soaked handkerchief couldn't solve. She'd get rid of them, mind-dive Tsuchiya and get out of there. At least, that was what she thought until she'd isolated him in a dark room and quickly discovered that Tsuchiya had a seventh bodyguard:

Miyamoto Hazuki. Page thirteen, second from the bottom in Konoha's Bingo Book. Also known as "_Hazuki of the Scarlet Snow_". (*赤雪の葉月)

Wonderful.

* * *

_Almost there. Konoha's close. Please, let me be close._

Ino thought she could smell the familiar scents of home drifting in the air but she wasn't sure, maybe she was hallucinating, a strong enough pain could induce those. Ino hoped it was real, needed it to be real. She was running on fumes as it was and a disappointment now would make her remaining determination evaporate. Pride had made her stay and fight when she knew she should have run and she was paying for it. Her chakra was too depleted to even heal the minor wounds, let alone the serious ones. If she could just-

With hazy detachment it registered to her that she was completely horizontal, indistinct voices and faces coming towards her and she could hardly pay attention. Sound and sight shifted and blended into each other until left was soprano and loud was down.

"She's crashing!"

Ino felt faint, as if her limbs were weightless and her thoughts quieted to whispers, to silence. She would have thought she was blacking out if she didn't know any better, but she _did_ know better, and she knew that each second of time that faded away was taking a piece of her with it. There was a small but insistent _push_ from her body, as if her soul were spilling out with her blood, until she had been completely expelled from it. It was the first time she had ever involuntarily left her body and the feeling was strangely surreal. She lingered beside herself, observing as her skin paled and lips drained in color from pinkish to a mute blue. Sakura, Shizune, Tsunade, and first floor supervisor Oyone-san were crowded around her body working frantically.

And then she felt something _pull_.

Alarmed, Ino tried to re-enter her body only to find it hopeless. It was like being locked outside of a house. She felt the pull again and things began to fade. Shizune's lips moved but Ino couldn't hear her and she watched as the raven-haired medic stepped back from her body and Tsunade did the same. Her vision blurred and she could just make out the glittering tear that rolled down Sakura's cheek as she kept at it, forcing more chakra into her vacant body. Death clawed at her, unrelenting, and Ino struggled to stay. She could sense the approach of the rumored Shinigami and had no desire to meet it.

_Come _on_, Sakura. You can do this, I know you can, but I need you to hurry!_

* * *

Sakura was sorry. She couldn't even think straight about what or why or how many things but oh god, she was sorry and if only Ino was awake she would scream a hundred and one apologies at her but the monitors screeched as Ino flatlined and Sakura pushed her grief aside. An iron will she'd forgotten she possessed fired up, refusing to lose.

_You can't do this to me, Ino. I won't let you._

"Shizune-sempai."

"Yes?"

"Massasge the heart using chakra. Oyone-san, go get 500ccs of blood plasma ready in an intravenous drip. Tsunadae-sama," Sakura looked at her master, her eyes focusing on the small diamond-shaped mark of chakra storage on her forehead. She remembered the day years ago when the Sannin explained to her the theory behind latent chakra storage. "I have an idea."

Tsunade stared at her pupil almost in awe of the young girl's hope. Despite managing to seal Ino's wounds, the kunoichi had suffered a Class IV Hemorrage exceeding over fourty percent bloodloss, maybe even a full half of her blood volume. Noone she had known had ever rebounded from that, not even with aggressive resuscitation. She doubted they even had enough blood in storage to pump back into her, which would take time, and time was a medic's worst enemy. A human brain would start to damage after two minutes without oxygen in the blood, but without any bloodflow at all? Every second was a losing battle.

Sakura placed her hands over one of Ino's thighs, chakra almost humming from the amount she was forcing inward.

"We can try using your Creation Rebirth jutsu to restimulate and accelerate blood production in her bone marrow. It should be enough to sustain her, once Shizune gets her heart going, until we can inject plasma."

The Hokage shook her head.

"I've told you, Sakura. This is a forbidden jutsu and something that is specialized and tailor-made to my body. I can't use it on anyone else."

"With all due respect Milady, I'm not asking you to use _yours_ on her, I'm asking you to _create one for her_. If I build up a mass chakra storage for her, can't you draw it out and direct the technique?"

Tsunade paused.

_Adapting an intransferable technique. She really has surpassed me._

"Yes."

Tsunade put her hands on the opposite side of Sakura and began initiating the technique.

_Only this girl could have brought this out of Sakura._

* * *

"I know, man. She's scary good, some kind of pink-haired miracle. I mean, did you see the girl when she came through? Did you _see_ her? She was bleeding buckets."

"No shit. Would've been tragic to lose a beauty like her. She's so nice too. Who else would flirt with you when you're laying in a bed reeking of blood, sweat, and dirt?"

"Yeah. It's lucky she and the Godaime's apprentice go way back. I heard they were best friends or something."

"Really? Huh. The old folks always said the good ones gravitate to each other. Magnetism or something, I don't know. Oh, Hyuuga-san. Welcome back."

Kotetsu finally diverted his attention from their conversation to greet the small convoy and Izumo hurriedly scribbled down their names and arrival time. The group of Hyuugas carried on, barely slowing in their steps until Izumo unwittingly rekindled their conversation.

"We should go see Ino, 'tetsu. Return the favor and flirt with _her_ while _she's _bed bound and mummified."

Neji's footsteps stalled and his group paused awkwardly some paces ahead of him as he stiffly stood and listened for more details from the gossiping pair.

"Are you kidding? She almost _died_, 'zumo. She's probably not even conscious yet. Let's wait until tomorrow."

_...almost died?_

"You're right, she's probably out cold. Heard she took out that bastard Hazuki! She earned the sleep."

Neji's eyes narrowed as realization set in.

_The Valley of Bones. Tsunade sent her anyway._

If the way Naoki and Hachirou quickly stepped away from him were any indication - and it was - Neji was furious. He seemed to be a deep breath away from exploding. Tenten paled at the look on his face.

"Neji?"

He began walking again, his movements oddly smooth as if the last thirty seconds had never happened. Cautiously the three of them trailed behind him until, finally, he spoke.

"Take Tenten home."

* * *

"Neji! Fortune must be smiling at me to see you here today. Have you finally come to accept my challenge of an honorable bout of brawling?"

Neji scowled at the too-bright green of Lee's bodysuit and too-happy smile on Lee's face. Too much of everything, it was insufferable. He rudely turned his back to the taijutsu master, walking away almost as though completely ignoring him before he gave an answer over his shoulder.

"Take off your leg weights."

* * *

Battleworn and significantly less resplendent than the last time she'd seen him, Neji calmly waltzed into Tsunade's office. She'd been expecting him, of course, but before she could say anything in defense of her choice he cut her off with a _demand_. Not a request.

"I want her as my subordinate. Exclusively. I will personally assume responsibility for the completion of her missions."

Tsunade stiffened; she hadn't quite been expecting him to say something that _audacious_. The idea of the young Yamanaka being placed into a permanent partnership was rather contrary to what she had been planning. All things considered now that she'd had time to sit back and think, although the A rank mission had nearly killed Ino to complete it, she had in fact gotten the job done while completely unassisted. It was something only a handful of people - Mitarashi Anko, Gekkou Hayate, and Hyuuga Neji himself, to name a few - had accomplished as a chuunin and a feat unheard of for a member of her clan. That in and of itself was grounds enough for a promotion; the blonde had proven herself a worthy leader and the Hokage found herself more than a little loathe to ignore that. To place her into a partnership now was almost a waste of potential.

"What do you stand to gain from this?"

"What do you stand to lose?"

Tsunade stared at Neji and he held the stare with a look that said _You owe me this_. She turned it over in her mind.

_...a partnership _would _keep her from dying before she reaches her full potential._

"Fine. Hyuuga Neji, you will hereafter be held personally accountable for Yamanaka Ino. You are to see to it that she is up to standards for each and every assignment. I expect you to maintain your mission success/failure ratio. And should something happen to her..."

"Understood, Hokage-sama."

"You understand that this may mean an increase in mission frequency and complexity in exchange for the raise in pay grade?"

"Raise?"

"I'm promoting Yamanaka under the conditions of this...arrangement. You work as a team, you get paid as a team. I don't want to regret this later, do I make myself clear?"

"Yes."

She tried to read his expression, and failed. He was a shrewd, shrewd man. She wondered if she would ever understand Naruto's generation. With a wave of her hand she dismissed the enigmatic genius and called for her apprentice once he was gone. Shizune skittered into the open doorway.

"Yes, shishou?"

"Noone else comes through this door unless someone's dying or Konoha is in danger."

* * *

**A / N : Ino **_**died **_**(for a minute) are you shocked? If you've read a certain other story of mine you might feel a little deja vu but hopefully it reads better here. Anyway, still rebuilding ch5. And you guys cracked 100 reviews with last chapter! Tell me, why so epic? :) A lot of you made guesses where this story is going, and some of you are right. I have such smart fans :D**


	12. Chapter 12

**Ricochet**

Neji's eyebrows drew together as he watched his brand-new subordinate smooth out her outfit while her hospital gown lay pooled on the floor, forgotten. She collected her weapons from the nightstand at her bedside, eager fingers replacing them to the rightful areas of her body where they belonged, smiling all the while. She'd gotten an earful from Sakura earlier about 'putting her though emotional hell' and couldn't wait to get out of there as fast as possible. Neji's frown deepened.

"You convinced them to let you out early."

The smooth timbre of his voice resonated from behind her and Ino couldn't keep a small smirk from working itself across her lips. "Yeah...I've recovered well enough. I don't really like to do anything slowly." She heard him shift to lean his form against the doorframe, his body language likely radiating disapproval. "Oh stop. I don't need eyes in the back of my head to know you're pouting."

"I am not pouting."

"Pouting!", Ino peeked over her shoulder to see but her partner had already schooled his features back into complete indifference, one eyebrow arching haughtily at her obvious disappointment. Ino turned back around and continued her task. "I'm not sorry for it, you know. So don't stand there like you think I owe you an apology or something."

He snorted. "You were reckless."

"It was my call to make."

"And it was the wrong one. It was egocentric and inconsiderate; you gave no thought to the people who were here waiting for you to come home _alive_."

Ino rolled her eyes crossly as she stripped the sheets from the bed to make it easier for the person who'd have to come clean her room. "Right, because doing exactly that must have been a grave disappointment to them."

"You were half dead. Do you have any idea of the inconveniences you caused? Of the stress you put on others?"

Ino put down a pillow with a little more force than was necessary and whipped around, jawline tight and eyes hard. Her hands rose up in front of her in mock-surrender. "Okay, you're right. I get it."

She marched out the door, brushing past him briskly but the intended effect was lost as he easily fell in step beside her as they walked down the hallway. She was vexed, he knew, but she had provoked him first. An eye for an eye.

"No, you don't. You're just humoring me because you're upset."

Her jaw tightened that much more as she paced onward. "That obvious, huh?"

He ignored her blatant sarcasm, grabbing hold of her elbow to still her, make her look him in the face. "Why?"

Ino's deathglare faltered under the intensity of his gaze. It wasn't a look she was familiar with, not from him. This was not the face of a superior demanding an answer from a subordiante, it was the look of someone who genuinely wanted to know. The look of someone who was attempting to understand her. For some reason, it pissed her off even more. Was that what it took, her rebounding from death for him to try to understand her?

"Fine, you want to know why I'm upset? It's because everything's always business with you -calculations, criticism, commands- it's like you can't hold a normal conversation! I mean, would it kill you to say 'Good job, Ino.' or 'Nice improvisation.' or even 'Hey, I'm glad you didn't die.' ? I haven't heard you say a single positive thing since the day I met you. I don't get you, Hyuuga Neji. I don't get how you can just switch from caring one moment to not giving a damn the next. Because, you know, _dying for my village_ would've been incredibly selfish of me. The issue of me dying is obviously a problem because it might mess up someone's day, not that my actual death would matter worth a damn."

Mindful of the orderlies bustling around them, Neji drew a deep breath and attempted to calm her. "Yamanaka,"

"Hey Beautiful."

Both of them tensed as Sai appeared from one of the rooms they'd passed and smiled blandly at Ino, who looked genuinely surprised. He seemed to want to say more than a simple _Hello_ and Neji had the irrational urge to yank Ino by the wrist and keep walking. Ino wiped a hand from forehead to chin, as if literally trying to wipe her previous expression from her face.

"Hi Sai." She turned back to Neji, some of the earlier tension creeping back into her face as her tone of voice turned flat and inexpressive. "Is there anything else, Neji?"

She was dismissing him, his brain dully noted, and he couldn't help shooting a glare in the painter's direction before answering.

"Yes. We have a mission two days from now, I expect you to be in prime condition and ready." The Hyuuga's body read uncertainty for a fraction of a second, his eyes softening almost tenderly before reverting back to complete professionalism. "...You're not allowed to die."

"I don't plan to."

Neji turned, drifting down the corridor in the stream of women dressed in white before disappearing around a corner. Ino watched the space where his back had been. Sai watched the hints of rage still dancing across Ino's face.

"He must be your Sasuke."

The blonde jolted out of her trance and stared at Sai in a moment of pure shock before she recovered her senses. "Why would you say that?"

"Because the expression you were wearing is the same one Ugly wears whenever I talk about Sasuke. It's ugly, but it looks better on you than on Ugly. It's ugly/beautiful. This is your best face."

Ino sighed, exasperated. It suddenly felt so much later in the day than it actually was. Was this Sai's sorry attempt to cheer her up? "Gee, thanks."

"Anytime."

Seemingly unaware of the concept of sarcasm and it's usage, Sai smiled again at Ino and tried his best to practice his skills in small talk. Ino couldn't wait to go home.

* * *

"Look out!"

The sudden dampness and clinging of her shirt to her shoulder alerted Tenten, belatedly, that she'd bumped into someone on her trek through the village center. A moment of disgust hit her as the stranger apologized and she assured the person that she was at fault. Bumped into someone? When was the last time someone had gotten so close to her without her awareness? If Gai could see her now, surely he'd be disappointed. She wondered if Neji could see how quickly her shinobi training was dissippating, especially now that he had a new female partner to compare her to.

A partner that, she heard, he had gone directly to the Hokage to request.

It was Ino, she was sure. He'd never paid so close attention to any other teammate, male or female. He'd never gotten so upset over someone either. Tenten would never forget the look of unbridled rage etched into her husband's visage as they'd passed Kotetsu and Izumo, nor would she ever forget the glacial way he'd ignored her after she moved to hurt Ino. Whenever the blonde was involved, the padlock on Neji's emotions seemed to spontaneously combust. He was never that way with her, showing the full extent of his temperment, not when he was angry or happy or sad.

She'd always thought it was a special courtesy that he gave only to her, a means to spare her perhaps. Now she wasn't so sure.

* * *

Ino peeled off her halter top, her nose scrunching up as the fabric passed over her head. Her clothes smelled of bleach and antiseptic, and while she was thankful to the hospital staff for washing them for her, the scent was no more pleasant to her than those of sweat and blood. She pushed her skirt downward over her hips to drop to the floor, her mesh shorts following quickly afterward, and then removed the mesh bandeau compressing her breasts. She stepped away from the pile she'd just made on the floor, mentally noting to re-wash them to get the foul smells out as she made her way to her bathroom. Ino had no idea what had happened to the clip she usually wore on the side of her hair - it must have been lost during her fight - but she slipped the elastic band holding up her ponytail out of her hair and leaned to turn the knobs of the shower. She stepped in under the spray, cool beads of water delivering small shocks all over her front side and tilted her head upward, her eyes sliding closed.

She thought about what he said. Reckless. Egocentric. Inconsiderate.

She turned around, the quickly-warming water hitting the top of her head, beating a rhythym onto her sore shoulders and pasting her hair to her back. _Reckless_. If Neji had said it, then it was probably true; she'd never known him to exaggerate. He hadn't sneered at her, hadn't tossed it at her as an insult, but as a reprimand.

_Don't stand there like you think I owe you an apology or something._

_You were reckless_. _You gave no thought to the people who were here waiting for you to come home alive._

That was his answer, his justification. She had made a grievous error somewhere in her choice during the battle, not because she was willing to fight to the death for her homeland, but because people needed her to live. She had fought no holds barred without crediting her life with a shred of significance, and for that she had caused others pain. He was right, in a roundabout sort of way. She _did_ owe an excuse for her thoughtlessness, and maybe she had overreacted to his telling her that at the time but Ino had meant every syllable of every word she'd said to him. She didn't know how it was possible to coordinate so well with someone on one level and not understand them at all on another one. He was straightforward, yet not. Compassionate while simultaneously frigid. He drove her crazy in all the wrong ways with just a few honest words, yet could do the same thing in all the _right_ ways with a simple look.

She didn't get him.

Although, she supposed that was to be expected. She was the epitome of Summer, made of fire and passion and adrenaline while he was the definition of Winter, tranquil and cool and contemplative. Fire and ice, summer and winter.

And the two could never meet because there was always Autumn in the middle.

Ino finished her shower, toweled off, and re-dressed herself in a pale blue tee and old beige shorts before padding downstairs to relieve her mother behind the shop counter. Settling in on a stool, Ino heard the back door click shut as her mother wandered out into the garden out back. She pulled an apron from one of the hooks behind her and tied it on as she gave the area a cursory glance and tried not to look too bored. Five minutes later found her slumping over the counter, chin in hands and so lost in thought that her reaction to the front door opening was delayed.

"Welcome to the Yamanaka Florist Shop! Oh. Hey Shika."

The brunette quirked an eyebrow at her, drawing close to lean a forearm on the counter casually. She didn't miss how his eyes flitted over her form in appraisal.

"I heard you were in the hospital while I was gone." He'd heard more than that, obviously. It wasn't in the Nara's nature to start conversations unneccessarily. He was here because he wanted to hear what happened _from her _; and knowing him, he'd store that information in his brain, analyze every single detail, and think of a way for it to never happen again. Shikamaru did not like mistakes. The only thing he hated more than mistakes were fatalities but, unlike Neji, he tended to be less confrontational and Ino was thankful for the reprieve.

She placed a palm on his forehead and, using one of her father's tricks, closed her eyes and showed him mentally what she'd seen and thought on the mission in the Valley of Bones. Technically, the information was classified and forbidden to share with anyone not involved on the mission, but Ino didn't worry about that. Even if Team 10 was officially dissolved, as far as Ino was concerned she, Shikamaru and Chouji were Team 10 for life and sometimes you had to break rules for teammates. She showed him everything, from finding the town to her fight against Hazuki of the Scarlet Snow to just making it past Konoha gates. When she finished and opened her eyes, she could tell Shikamaru was doing his best to look indifferent but she could read the emotions in his eyes. Fear. Anger. Guilt. Neji's voice replayed in her head, refusing to be ignored.

_You gave no thought to the people who were here waiting for you to come home alive._

Damnit, she hated when she was wrong.

Ino decided it was a good time to redirect attention.

"So, now that you've seen everything, I have a question about something." Shikamaru snapped out of his thoughts, mild confusion sweeping his face as Ino lifted one leg of her shorts a few inches, exposing more of her thigh. There was what appeared to be a bruise on the front of it, a dark violet crescent shape the size of a coin, the open ends of the mark tapering into a slightly lighter color. He couldn't tell if it was freshly forming or just starting to go away, but Ino solved that question before he could ask. "Sakura, Shizune, and Tsunade herself healed me. I was in the hospital for three days, and this was here when I woke up. It keeps getting darker. I don't know why it hasn't gone away."

"You're asking _me_ about medical stuff?"

"I don't think this is medical, Shika. Normal bruises heal, not get darker."

Shikamaru stared at the mark, from the deepest color of the crescent to the faint outline at it's open edge. At closer inspection, it looked more like a hollowed circle.

"Does it hurt?"

"No."

He reached as if to trace it, the sun from the window behind him casting the shadow of his hand over her thigh. Through his shadow he could feel the thrum of Ino's chakra pulsating. He pulled back.

"_How_ did they heal you? Do you remember?" She shook her head 'No' and Shikamaru looked unsure as he turned things over in his mind, slipping his hands into his pockets and shifting his weight on his legs. "It's not a bruise. There's a lot of chakra behind it, and if it's getting darker then that means it's probably absorbing your chakra all the time."

"But I don't feel tired. Something like that would lead to chakra depletion pretty quickly."

This time he was the one who shook his head. "It's only collecting a portion. You can still access your chakra, can't you? It's only drawing chakra you aren't using. Must be a jutsu."

A jutsu! It made sense, when Ino thought about it. Bruises tended to be irregularly shaped, and when she really looked at the mark she could make out a perfectly circular shape. A perfect rendition of the Haruno family crest.

_Sakura did this_.

Her mouth opened in amazement.

"I know what this is. It's a chakra storage point."

* * *

Making his way across the grass of the Hyuuga compound, Neji couldn't help but feel tense. He didn't understand this; didn't understand _her_. At least, he didn't understand what she wanted from him.

_I haven't heard you say a single positive thing since the day I met you._

He hadn't pegged Ino as the type of person to put value in such inane things as praise, and he was still fairly sure she didn't. She was perfectly emotionless when it came to her duties as a warrior, but when it came to her comrades Ino was practically an open book. She shared her things, loved to make conversation, and was always trying to help even when assistance wasn't asked for. He had the sneaking suspicion that she liked to befriend everyone she worked with. Ino valued _people_, not words. Why would she care for his words?

_I don't get how you can just switch from caring one moment to not giving a damn the next_.

Neji did care for her well-being, he didn't know how she didn't see that. He did more for her than any other teammate he'd ever had! He went out of his way to give her as much safety as he could. He took personal responsibility for her. He allowed from her rants and critiques that would warrant punishment and possible dismissal from anyone else. Metaphorically speaking, he let her get away with murder. How did that add up to having no regard for her? If anything, he'd spoiled her rotten.

Neji reached his doorstep and opened the door automatically, stepping into his home and drifting towards the back. Tenten popped out from the narrow hall leading to the laundry room to greet him. She flashed a smile that didn't reflect in her eyes, barely blooming completely before it withered away. She wrapped her arms around his middle and Neji marvelled at how the gentle action instantly relaxed him.

"Welcome home."

Her face tilted up to look at him and Neji held her gaze before closing his eyes, folding his arms around her and nestling his face in the crook of her neck. He felt...bad, somehow. Beyond the admiration and love swirling in his wife's chocolate orbs he could see hints of loneliness and the blame for it rested squarely on his shoulders. Tenten didn't have friends - nobody on Team Gai had, really - and while she wasn't particularly close to her small family, here they lived, surrounded by in-laws she barely knew and with nothing more to occupy her time than domestic duties. To marry him, she'd given up her lifelong dream and what had he done for her? Nothing. She had been so patient, so selfless, so giving...she'd make a wonderful mother one day.

Yes, perhaps she'd be happier with children to chase after and comfort and love. His uncle had been pressing the matter, maybe the time was right to start a family.

Neji lifted his face, drawing back and loosening his hold on Tenten. He let one arm drop to his side as the other hand trailed down to her wrist and took hold there. Silently, he led her to their bedroom.

She rained feather-light kisses along his face and neck and he allowed her some minutes of control before he turned them over, reversing their positions. He forged his own trail of kisses across her skin, open-mouthed, stronger and more sensual than the ones she'd given him. He slowed as he reached her neck, a lingering scent there on the opposite side of where he'd nestled his face earlier. She smelled vaguely sweet and floral, as if she'd taste of nectar if he lapped at her skin. He tried it, and while practice didn't confirm the theory, he wasn't disappointed. Something in his brain whispered that the scent was hauntingly familiar, perhaps reminiscent of a place he'd been. He tried to remember, eyes sliding shut as his mind searched for an answer he wasn't sure existed. He pictured open fields, cool afternoon breezes and fresh summer skies so perfectly skyblue...

Blue.

Ino.

Neji stiffened abruptly and below him, Tenten rolled her hips to grind against him encouragingly and he bit back a groan, forcing his eyes open. Lavender. He recognized it now, Tenten smelled of lavender and, by proxy, smelled like the walking bouquet that was Ino. His mind must have subconsciously made the connection and for a second, he tried in vain to believe that it didn't mean anything that his wife smelling like his mission partner turned him on. He tried to focus on the smooth caramel of Tenten's skin and the low resonance of her breathless moans. He closed his eyes again to help concentrate as he began to move faster. All of his nerves were alive and singing and he had to open his eyes to run from the image that was building behind them like a mosaic. The heavy-lidded orbs that peered back at him were brown but all he could see was blue, blue, blue...

And he couldn't deny it anymore: he was attracted to his partner. Majorly.

Tenten trembled and shuddered beneath him and Neji followed her, his mind blissfully blank for a precious few seconds until he was still, breathing deeply and sweating as his wife drifted off to sleep. He rolled off of her and onto his back, staring up at the ceiling some seconds before blocking it out with a hand over his eyes. The full weight of his overworked mind came down to crush him and Neji had no choice but to lie there, an unwilling captive, as repressed thoughts rushed him ruthlessly.

He was attracted to Ino. He had denied it since the mission in Rice Country, telling himself the need to stop her pain was the heat of the moment and nothing more, but in truth he had only wanted to touch her. Get a little closer, see a little more, feel a little bit. Just a little.

A little _what_? There was no future with the Yamanaka and he had everything he should ever need at home. Here. With Tenten.

He grimaced, reluctant to accept he'd let an infactuation begin, let alone spread this far.

_This. Is. A problem._

* * *

**A / N : All aboard the DOOM train! The first scene was initially planned as mild fluff and evolved into an argument. Fail. Sorry if you never saw the original ch5, you might not get the SaiIno part. And, my goodness, I can hear some of you screaming all the way over here. **_**Through the internet**_**. xD**


	13. Chapter 13

**Ricochet**

"I seriously hate this place; we should raze it to the ground. We'd be doing the world a favor, honestly."

_Prehistoric cesspool._

The Yamanaka heiress grumbled as she crushed another insect the size of her fist and, with tissue, scooped up the carcass and proceeded to dump it outside an open window. Umenouchi Island, located just off the coast of Amegakure, could go to hell for all the blonde cared. The bugs were big, the terrain was swampy, and the people were ornery. The smell of stagnant water permeated the air to the extent that, having been on the island for three weeks now, Ino smelled it in her dreams. She couldn't wait to find out where the stupid Ozuni clan were hiding their stupid forbidden scroll so that she and Neji could destroy it and high tail it out of there. In the other corner of their log cabin, Ino could just barely hear the soft shuffling of items as Neji too got himself ready in full formal wear.

"You want to besiege and slaughter over a few bugs?", he deadpanned as he straightened his hakama. He'd been unusually snappish with her for the past few weeks, ever since their little fallout in the hospital. Ino grunted in response while she kept working at her hair, twisting the long braid in loops as she piled it atop her head and inserted pins to keep it in place. Really, she'd _besiege and slaughter_, as her partner had so eloquently put it, just for the sake of clean-smelling air and clear water. She hated to think of what the semi-murky water they bathed in was doing to her delicate skin. _Impurities. Ick._ She felt violated every time the liquid touched her and swore her complexion was losing its usual pink vibrancy. Ino sighed.

"I just wish we were somewhere more civilized instead of this...marsh pit. I don't know how the locals stand it here."

The locals, as Ino called them, consisted of three small towns settled at edges of the island and a clan settlement at the island's center. There couldn't have been more than two thousand people on the entire thing, but the people were notoriously adverse to foreigners and therefore frustratingly tight-lipped. Three weeks into the mission, and Ino still hadn't uncovered a scrap of information concerning the scroll they needed. That only served to fuel her resentment, and she mentally prepared herself to be the charming young maiden from Water Country, as was her cover for the night's events. Even with the difficulty of tracking the scroll, Ino had managed to secure an invite for herself and her partner to an exclusive political conference. She wasn't a professional spy for nothing; though the locals spoke sparsely with her, Ino had prattled on and on spinning lie after lie until she was generally considered harmless, if not irritating, and invited to social gatherings. Her mouth was her tool and the longer she spoke the more her listeners had relaxed their defenses, swallowing up her innocent tales with little to no suspicion. She even got them to believe that her 'attendant' was mute. Fools.

A pretty face and sweet words will get you everywhere.

It was high time the mindwalker got access to the Ozuni compound and tonight she would make her move. Ino pushed one last stick into her high golden crown of hair before giving her reflection a final check and moving away from the mirror. Neji stood by the door ready and waiting, an imposing vision in black and gold robes with his hair neatly tied back in it's customary ponytail and forehead covered with a simple band of fabric. His gaze held a level of impatience she was unaccustomed to coming from him, and Ino found a little comfort in the thought that he must have wanted to get out of Umenouchi Island just as badly as she did. He opened the door for her, already slipping into the behavior of his cover role, and Ino led the way.

Neji walked beside her in the fading evening light, closely enough to show familiarity and far enough to be considered appropriate in the company of an unwed girl. He held a lit lamp in one hand chasing away the oncoming shadows unnecessarily; he could see just fine but appearances had to be maintained as they milled around with civilians who stared as they passed. They reached their destination shortly, a quaint building in need of some repair, and blended into a stream of people pouring in. They found the room hosting the conference and settled in along the wall with the rest of the audience. The speakers began some minutes later, and the old man seated next to Ino found that to be the opportune moment to make passes at her. He cheesed at her with a snaggle tooth smile and Ino could smell the alcohol on his breath. Leave it to her to find the one alcoholic in the room and sit next to him.

"I heard it were some foreigners 'round town, but I didn't know you'd be as young n' pretty as ya are. What's yer name, miss?"

She wanted to bare her teeth at him for distracting her from the speeches - _information is imperative to success_, as her father would say - but she hid her displeasure in a bright smile after giving herself a mental pep talk.

_Play your part, Ino, just play your part. You are the leading lady and this is your stage. Give a performance worthy of thunderous applause._

"Shinohara, Tsubaki."

"Ooo, such a pretty name too! Now that there ain't your husband, is it?"

She was cringing on the inside. She knew the pathetic steps to a civilian's seduction strategy: give compliments, ask about the marital status, and extend the invitation for a roll in the sheets. It was so rudimentary that Ino wondered how civilian girls fell for such garbage; surely kunoichi weren't the only females with standards? Even Fujiwara in all his crudeness was less repulsive by comparison.

"Heavens, no. This is my attendant. He accompanies me _everywhere._"

She stressed the emphasis thickly in hopes that the implication sunk into his decrepit little mind.

"Aw, surely that can't be true! A cute little thing like you could slip away from him for a few hours, couldn't ya?"

Bloodlust was not something Ino was known for, but for the second time this year she badly wanted to kill someone. The knowledge that she couldn't -shouldn't, really. It was more a matter of guidelines and protocol- was killing _her_. While acerbic wit and being manipulative tended to be core parts of her personality, neither characteristic was effective when her target's mind was muddled by intoxication. Perhaps this was cosmic retribution for being a known tease?

_Please, Kami, spare me from this hell. Spare me from this hell. Sparemefromthishell._

In her peripheral vision Ino scanned Neji's face. He seemed to be conveniently engrossed in the politician's speech, paying absolutely no mind to her situation and she bit the inside of her lip angrily. This was her own fault. Since she went around telling everyone he was mute, _of course_ he couldn't say anything to make the old pervert back off. Ino decided to try politely ignoring her pest and his thinly veiled innuendo, fixing her eyes in a stare straight ahead and willing her ears to tune out his advances. Undaunted after several more attempts at flirting, the old man soon turned to more _physical _tactics, his wrinkled, age-spotted hands wandering over her lower leg, thigh, and backside every few minutes. His face lit up in amusement every time her hand discreetly swatted his away.

It was a long two hours. Any pertinent information the speakers disclosed about the Ozuni clan she'd have to get from Neji later, she hadn't had a single free moment to concentrate. As the meeting adjourned Ino made a conscious effort not to bolt out, gracefully rising and making short, ladylike strides as she turned and left. She didn't see her partner stretch out his arm to deliver an imperceptible tap to the pervert's back - effectively exploding his heart in his chest, the body slumping forward as if the man had simply passed out.

* * *

Back in the cabin, Ino hurriedly pulled the embellishments out of her hair and worked at removing her formal _furisode_, trying not to rip it in irritation. If putting one on was hard, getting it off was harder. Across the room Neji had already removed his robes, replaced them with his usual gear, and was politely averting his eyes. He even had his _henge_ in place already, his skin warmed to a russet hue, eyes darkened slightly to a citrine color and hair short. Very short.

"Ugh. Neji, could you come here? I think I made a knot."

"Don't you know the Rope Escape Jutsu?"

What, was Neji PMSing or something? Kami, she was getting sick of his attitude. It was like he was attempting a personal record for the title of Longest Temper Tantrum Held and she was the sole recipient of his irritation. And when he wasn't tossing passive aggressive remarks at her he was..._nonverbal_. It was as if he really _was_ a mute. He was doing that a lot lately; deviating from the norm. Ino didn't like it. Between that and the odd stares she caught him giving her the past few weeks when he thought she wasn't looking, her nerves were fraying.

"Yes, but this is _silk_. You have to be gentle with silk. Just come here."

Neji cast her a wary glance, hesitating before he finally stood and walked over to help the kunoichi trapped in her own clothes. It wasn't as if she were playing the coquette and coyly trying to seduce him, if that was what he was thinking. There was indeed a knot in the back of Ino's decorative obi and Neji made light work of it, the fabric going lax in his hands as the kimono itself loosened, the V of the folded material sliding daringly low with nothing to restrain it. Though it was brief, Ino caught the quick movement of Neji's eyes reflected in the mirror as they flicked downward before he backed up, retreating to his corner of the room.

_Huh. Even well-mannered Hyuuga are still men._

Gingerly removing the garment, the blonde was dressed in her purple outfit within seconds and pulling on her sandals.

"Is the clan member still in your sights?"

"Nearly all of the island is within my sight."

Ino decided to let that comment slide. To be fair, Neji's scope of vision really did span most of Umenouchi Island - the only blindspot being the Ozuni compound. It was not exactly invisible, he could pinpoint it's location easily enough, more like a large black spot in his Byakugan vision. The two of them suspected the clan had a specialized barrier of sorts surrounding it, but whether it existed to keep others out or keep something _in_ they couldn't be sure. To be cautious for the sake of the mission's success they would split up; Ino would infiltrate and look for the scroll while Neji would carefully observe from the outside, watching with his regular eyesight for the slightest hint of trouble.

"How far from us is she?"

She inquired again about the target, a lone female from the clan who'd been in attendance at the political conference.

"Just beyond the log pile at the forest edge."

"Well then, shall we?"

She gestured at the door and Neji turned his eyes away from wall and nodded.

Under the starless night sky, they crept upon the target as silently as ghosts and Neji caught Ino's body as her spirit abandoned it.

* * *

Ino was disturbed to find that, in her borrowed body, once she entered the Ozuni clan's territory she could no longer link minds with Neji. It was a rather foreboding sign if you asked her, and a part of her mind whispered _It's a trap. It's a trap._ She ignored it. What good would paranoia do here, in the belly of the beast, so to speak?

She walked. Not daring to distract herself by searching her body's memories, Ino wandered around the compound tentatively exploring hallways and peeping into doors. _This would go a lot faster,_ she thought enviously, _if I had the help of shadows or ink monsters or summons._ Unluckily, she didn't and resigned herself to the task at hand since she couldn't get prior knowledge of where they were keeping the scroll. Her search continued further and further beyond the twists and turns of long hallways and narrow corridors until she came across a door not visibly different from the others, but lightly thrumming with chakra. Bingo. She dispelled the jutsu in one swift handsign and let herself in.

Ino barely got a good look around when she felt a presence drawing close and hand to come right back out, replacing the jutsu on the door and walking away from it like she'd never stopped there. In just moments she nearly collided with someone turning the corner, a male of about her age with a crooked nose. He wore a thin yukata meant to sleep in and stood with his arms crossed, each hand invading the opposite's sleeve.

"What are you doing in this wing of the house, Retsuki?"

Ino rubbed at her neck and gave him a convincingly tired look.

"Just walking. Can't sleep."

His eyes narrowed. "Come, I'll walk you back to your quarters."

She only nodded, following the man as he stepped around her and led the way. She felt him slow down before he finally came to a stop in front of a plain door and looked at her expectantly. Ino cancelled the jutsu.

Back in her body Ino blinked, pushing herself up to an upright position and turning to meet her partner's gaze.

"Well?"

"It's in a treasure room beside some huge tapestry. It's like a maze in there, though. I passed about seven hallways and maybe thirty doors. It's pretty big. I didn't have a chance to find any alternate routes to it before someone got suspicious, so I'm guessing we've got this one shot - straight in, and straight out."

Neji inclined his head slightly in agreement. "I'll go with you."

Ino did a quick _henge no jutsu_, lightening her hair to a dull white and transforming her eyes to a rusty red color. She inspected her new look, shortening her hair to angled bob before deeming it different enough for her not to be recognized in case things went wrong and someone actually saw her. She was relieved to find that, once Neji had crossed over the territorial boundary with her, she was once again able to communicate telepathically with him.

It was risky, just breezing into the place via the front door, but also much less suspicious. A clan would expect and prepare for an intruder trying to sneak in from widows and hidden entries, but who would suspect the main entrance? Not the Ozunis, that's who. The foyer was blessedly empty as the pair ventured inside walking along briskly yet catiously. Neji took in every detail of the spaces they passed while Ino navigated the labyrinth with expert percision. Let it never be said the blonde didn't have a good memory. Some distance in Neji haulted, signalling Ino to continue on while he stood guard.

Eight minutes passed and Neji heard someone approaching.

_Hurry up, Yamanaka._

_I need more time!_

_We're out of time. Withdraw, now._

_Just thirty more seconds. I'm still disarming the protection jutsu around the scroll._

Neji felt deja vu. Hadn't they had almost that exact exchange before? The seconds ticked by and he counted every footstep as the clan member drew closer. At the thirteenth footfall, he summoned his chakra.

* * *

Ino's brain was throbbing, not used to the strain of her rarely used _Shoukyouseishin no Jutsu._ A lot of chakra and concentration went into the mind erasing technique just in it's regular performance; using the jutsu en masse had stretched her limits to the point that she felt proud that she was still conscious and able to walk. If not for her adrenaline rush she knew she probably couldn't. Her _henge_ had been dropped during the action and on the front of her thigh the chakra storage point faded into a faint outline. The cost of covering their tracks was paid in staggering amounts of chakra.

Her attention drifted over to the Hyuuga, locating and assessing the severity of his wounds. He too had been forced to drop his _henge_ in order to focus his chakra solely on combat, his Byakugan still activated despite the fact that some of his more serious injuries ought to have made it hard to concentrate. She shook her head, advancing towards him and knowing that patching him up would zap her energy and force them to make camp somewhere near here. In all honesty, it had to be the twelfth time since she'd worked with Neji that he'd cheated death. They really didn't get paid enough for this.

Neji could see everything, and he didn't like what he saw. The barrier was down, no longer impeding his range of vision and the scroll was damaged, ripped and bloodied but still in their possession. Neji suspected those two facts were related; he did not believe in coincidences. What was more was Ino hadn't made it out unscathed either; he could see that her chakra had mostly evaporated and she hadn't even healed herself yet. She had a nosebleed and a trickle of blood was running out of one of her ears. Even without medical knowledge Neji knew that wasn't a good sign. She had shown the clan unprecedented mercy by wiping their memories of the past few hours; he had been ready to exterminate them.

Even now, outfit soiled in blood and in complete disarray, Ino was extraordinarily gorgeous. Kind. Clever. Grace-

He shut off that runaway train of thought before it could arrive somewhere he didn't want to go. Scoping the area once more to verify the safety level, Neji took a seat on the ground to catch his breath. After several seconds he laid flat on his back, glowering up at the sky. His mind was as weary as his body, and only one bent knee and the tension in his splayed hands indicated that his guard was not completely down, contrary to appearance. He listened to the crunch of gravel under his partner's feet as she came to sit beside him.

Ino sighed and reached her hands out to heal Neji, but he jerked away as if dodging fire arrows.

"Don't", He growled the word at her and Ino stilled, confused. He didn't want her touching him, not right now. Not when he felt like the press of her skin on his would sizzle and scorch in a way he'd never be able to forget. Not when she was leaning over him with those fathomless blue eyes and he was already fighting the urge to pull her down to him.

The mindwalker lowered her eyes at him, her lips thinning into an unhappy line, and proceeded to heal him anyway. Ino would have none of his unreasonable brooding. She'd just have to take the Hyuuga's wrath because she was not going to run the risk of letting him die while she replenished her chakra reserves; you could not heal the dead. Her expression lapsed into something more schooled, professional, and Neji marveled at the quelling look in her eyes. He tried not to notice how much he relaxed under Ino's touch, how he was too used to the feel of her palms caressing him. Her chakra felt like a cool breeze blowing through his body.

He grimaced and looked away. When she was finished with the worst of his injuries, they stood and started a slow pace back towards their cabin. Halfway there, Ino broke the silence.

"I had it under control, I didn't need your help. I don't need-"

Suddenly bitter, he grabbed her shoulder and roughly turned her back to face him, taking a step closer to her in the process.

"Me? Yes, you do."

Somehow, with him looking at her that fervently she couldn't deny it. She couldn't stop her eyes from roaming over the angles of his face, along his jawline and settling on his lips before she tore her gaze away.

Against his will Neji noticed how her eyes darkened momentarily before she moved away, noticed that her eyes often darkened from clear afternoon skies to a deep azure color whenever he was in close proximity. He fought the urge to step into her space again; to make her look at him like that again. Then he curled his hands into tight fists at his sides and willed himself to ignore her, him, _this_. This..._thing_ between them that shouldn't even exist. This _thing_ that knocked his world off kilter, scrambling his emotions and disorienting his logic. She was like a poison coursing through his veins, spreading, conquering.

_Control_, he ordered himself, _control_.

* * *

"Oh Lee, you opened the Gates again, didn't you?"

The brunette frowned, her eyebrows meeting worriedly as she ran a hand over her former teammate's forehead. She'd heard he returned from a mission in pretty bad shape and, having no family, Tenten hated the thought that he'd have no visitors. Nobody deserved to be alone like that.

"Every time you do that it shortens your life."

She supposed it was the lesser of two evils, to shorten his own lifespan in order to survive battle, but Tenten still couldn't say for sure if it was woth it. The assurance of living to see another day was tempered by the knowledge that you were numbering those days remaining. Being granted the inhuman strength and speed to crush enemies almost without resistance, only to heavily damage your own body in return. She remembered their sensei, both as he was in their gennin days and his condition as he left Konoha for the last time. When they were young he was a man made of solid muscles, bulging and intimidating like he was carved from stone. At just thirty-two years old, Gai had been aging inside out. His once strong, pliable biceps had warped into hardened scar tissue and his calloused, gentle hands had been gnarled and contorted from constant abuse. And only a med-nin could know what shape his heart must have been in after years of the strain from his extreme taijutsu techniques.

"Tenten?"

Her head turned sharply to the voice that interrupted her internal monologue. She didn't know who she'd expected to see, but she didn't expect it to be Haruno Sakura. Tenten removed her hand from Lee's forehead and primly straightened her posture.

"Are visiting hours over?"

The pinkette's eyes widened briefly before shaking her head, shaking out whatever thought had given her pause.

"Oh, no. Nothing like that. I didn't know anyone was visiting him, I just...I felt a lot of chakra coming from this room. I just came to see what happened."

Sakura's boots clicked quietly as she came to Lee's bedside, skilled hands hovering over his body as she ran diagnostics. Her head tilted ever so slighty as she finished up, biting part of her bottom lip with a look of puzzlement clear on her face.

"He's fine. Nothing abnormal."

Tenten relaxed. Lee _had_ to be fine, it wasn't a choice. She and Neji couldn't handle any more loss in their lives, not this soon.

"Thank you for taking care of him."

"It's no problem. This is why I chose this training." Sakura smiled wide, placing a hand on Tenten's shoulder. Then she stiffened, the expression dropping from her lips immediately and replaced by surprise. Tenten noticed.

"What?"

Sakura opened her mouth, then closed it and Tenten felt a warming sensation as the medic's chakra entered her body, probing. The feeling vanished suddenly when Sakura removed her hand.

"It wasn't him, it was you." Relief crept into her voice, happy to have solved the puzzle. The smile returned.

"Me?"

"Yeah, you. Why didn't you tell me you were pregnant?"

* * *

**A / N : FYI, if your ears and nose are bleeding at the same time, that can be a serious sign of brain trauma. Somehow I'm a little disappointed with this chapter, idk why. I may have rushed it a bit. But anyway, this punctual update is thanks to Shourin, who kindly pleaded that I not torture you all with my procrastination. Thanks are also owed to Sasina, one of my original fans. If not for her encouragement in my first ventures of Naruto fanfiction, I might not have been still hanging around here after 4 years :)**


	14. Chapter 14

**Ricochet**

Tenten was disappointed to find her husband still in a foul mood when he returned from his mission in Umenouchi Island. And if he noticed any changes in her chakra, he hadn't said anything. Still, Tenten felt more cheerful than she had in months; more than she'd expected to when she first decided that she'd be okay with having a baby. A baby. _Neji's baby._ The thought still sent an excited shiver down her spine. At not quite a month into her pregnancy, she'd be a mother in less than a year.

She'd have to be careful for the next eight months of course, not that she'd be doing anything too dangerous anyway. Sakura had warned her about the frailties of kunoichi pregnancies, that because of the athletic condition of their bodies one out of every three kunoichi miscarried. Tenten, who had listened with rapt attention, had decided then and there to wait until she was past the first trimester - three months in - to tell Neji he was going to be a father. Until she told him, however, she'd have to mostly stay cooped up in the house. She couldn't risk anyone else knowing the good news before she told Neji herself, and few things missed Hyuuga eyes.

Her mind ran through countless scenarios of how Neji would be as a father. Would he be stern like his uncle? Would he smile gently at their child? As scared as she was of the oncoming challenges of parenthood, she couldn't wait to share those challenges with him.

* * *

Shikamaru groaned inwardly as he sensed the approach of a chakra signature he'd known all of his life. He debated whether or not it was worth it to open his eyes and decided against it. There were hardly any clouds out and the sun was in full effect, there was no sense in damaging his vision. He laid completely still, counting the vibrations of her footsteps on the ground. She came to stand beside him, and in his mind Shikamaru imagined she was determining whether he was asleep or awake, before sitting down beside him. Eventually, she turned her body sideways, taking the liberty of propping the back of her head on his ribcage. He cracked an eye open, then slid it back shut. This was a bad sign. When Ino went from needing an ear to listen to needing physical contact, it usually meant something had gone wrong. If she had turned her body and curled against his side he'd know someone had died. This wasn't that.

He waited. Five minutes. Ten minutes. Finally, she spoke.

"It's like he's becoming someone I don't know."

Shikamaru felt himself relax a little more. So it was boy trouble, not job trouble. Good. At least, as good as he could hope for.

"People change, Ino."

"Not really. Not without reason. He used to always be composed and level-headed. Now it's like he's angry all the time like...like he can't stand me or something. But he won't let me out of his sight."

"This guy likes you that much?"

"No, that's impossible. He he has someone he's pretty serious with."

Shikamaru's eyes snapped open. Was the 'he' she was talking about...? Couldn't be. Could it? He hoped for her sake it wasn't who he thought it was.

"You should spend less time around him then."

"That's not really possible either."

With a resigned sigh Ino sat up, then got to her feet to leave. Shikamaru pushed his weight up on his elbows.

"You shouldn't become attached to someone who can't return your feelings."

She smiled at him bitterly. "I know. I _shouldn't_."

_But I am._

* * *

Distant stars twinkled in the sky above as two shinobi came to a stop at the edge of a forest, outskirting a small field. With no more than a simple hand gesture, the male signalled to the female they would be taking a break and trailed away from from her at a normal, civillian speed. The female laid eyes on a decaying log nearby and, deeming it decent firewood, set to work on making a fire.

The fire had grown to a moderate size, sizzling and crackling and giving off a decent amount of heat when Neji returned, the body of a wild boar hefted onto one shoulder and held there with his left hand around a tusk and the right arm curled over its midsection. He walked steadily towards Ino and the campfire, the ease of his gait showing no sign of the weight of the huge creature he carried.

Neji set his kill on the ground and watched Ino jump up to fetch strong, thick sticks for them to roast their meal on. A quick glance around told him there were no flowers growing in the area; where had she picked up the daisy nestled into the base of her ponytail? It hadn't been there when they'd passed through the last village, had she picked it at some point while they'd been running? Ino returned with five large sticks in hand and Neji's curiosity evaporated as he took out his kunai and began to gut the pig.

They remained quiet throughout cooking and eating, slowly unwinding from the day's stress as they drank their fill from canteens brimming with warm water. Bellies full, the comfortable silence continued until Ino saw Neji pull out a kunai and carefully sever the tusks from the boar's head. He set one tusk near his feet and the other he began to shave and chip at with his kunai, breaking off some of the tip and sharpening it into the shape he wanted. Intrigued, Ino realized he was whittling it into a dagger.

"Wow, I didn't know you knew how to do that sort of thing."

He responded with a shrug. "It's useful." _Tenten likes daggers._

"How practical." she chirped. It was a statement so distinctly _Neji_; the man was ingeniously resourceful. "Did someone in your family teach you that?"

"I taught myself."

"Right, genius. I forgot. Can you make beads and hairsticks and stuff too?"

"I have no interest in accessories."

Out of the blue she smiled at him, shifting her weight to sit in a crosslegged position. "You've never talked about yourself this much."

"There's nothing to say."

At that, Ino laughed.  
"There's plenty to say. Of all the creatures in the world, humans have the most extensive forms of communication. We're talking all the time, it's just that most of what we're saying isn't coming fom our mouths."

Very, very fractionally, Neji tensed when he quickly read the meaning behind her words. "Body language."

She nodded. "Actions speak louder than words. You know what your body is saying right now? _Touch me and I'll break your fucking hand_."

His smirk was instantaneous. She was right, of course. Most shinobi knew the bare basics of reading body language to check for signs of dishonesty or hostility; to cover up one's natural habits was an exceedingly difficult thing to do. Even when under cover many shinobi had mannerisms unique to themselves and, to a degree, it was mostly permissable in making their games of deceit more genuine-looking. He'd never met a ninja who could zero in with such accuracy though, _especially_ when he felt he'd been masking his uneasiness fairly well with indifference. Neji was mildly impressed. He knew the Yamanaka was queen of all things psychological, but he'd failed to recognize her thorough understanding of human communication as well. He supposed it was part of her repetoire as a spy.

He wondered how well Yamanaka Ino could lie with her body. He wondered if he was as transparent to her as the world was to him. Someone as visually captivating as her would be well acquainted with animalistc interest from the opposite gender; she probably knew the game of attraction backwards, forwards and inside out. This was her territory, and Neji had no intentions of being caught trespassing.

Quickly he came to the conclusion that even pondering such things counter-productive. To be sitting next to someone who read brains like scholars read books and falling into deep thought was asking for trouble. Thinking was the enemy, words were the enemy's projectiles and silence...silence was _certain doom_. Shinobi tended to pay more attention in times of silence, and with enough time and enough attention there was no doubt in Neji's mind that Ino would _know_. He couldn't allow that. There was enough strain between them with his newfound awareness of his attraction towards her, to let her discover such a thing would undoubtedly become a colossal distraction. He turned his eyes toward the campfire.

"I'll keep watch tonight. Rest."

Out of the corner of his eye he saw her slightly dissatisfied look before she conceded, standing up and turning away to find a spot some yards away to sleep on.  
Part of him was relieved she'd obeyed.  
...A quieter part of him was disappointed.

* * *

Ten hours' distance from Konohagakure, the Hyuuga-Yamanaka team made it to their destination: the Hidden Village of Shimogakure in the Land of Frost. It was the first time either of them had been there, Shimogakure being a small settlement far away from the Five Great Nations, and their mission had come straight from the Frost Daimyo himself : assasinate Nobunaga Reizou without being discovered. The Shimogakure-nins would have no knowledge of this operation and if they were to be discovered, village ninja would pursue and execute. Worse if proof they were from Konoha was found, such as the perfectly circular bruises the Jyuuken style left on skin or the massive hemorraging from the nose and ears that resulted from mental torture techniques that liquified the brain. It was a delicate situation to say the least.

They assumed new identities as soon as they set foot in Frost territory and made themselves familiar with the town's layout. Then they came up with a plan: they would choose a target which Ino would brainwash - Ino liked to call it _personality reprogramming_ - and then that target would kill Nobunaga. There would be nothing to tie them to the murder.

The pair slipped into more casual clothing and infiltrated the local bar. For two hours straight they sat together at a small table in the corner of the bar, ordering tonic water and keeping close watch for a the right kind of loser to be their scapegoat. Many guys had given Ino the eye since their arrival, but none so far had been a good match. They couldn't just choose anyone; who would believe a shoemaker would kill Reizou? Or a waiter? It had to be a civilian, but one with the right kind of reputation. Or rather, the _wrong_ kind of reputation. One with motives.

In the third hour of their waiting, Ino saw the perfect candidate. He was young and muscular with unkept hair and a bad attitude. And he couldn't take his dark eyes off of her. Neji spied him too.

"Can you charm him?"

"Charm him? Are you kidding? I could charm honey from a rock. Watch me work."  
Ino grinned dubiously at him. Getting ready to make her grand introduction, she unwound the blue scarf from around her neck and wrapped it around Neji's, covering his nose and mouth.  
"You have to keep your nose covered or else this'll affect you too."  
She revealed a small vial of liquid that had been concealed in her palm and opened it, smearing the contents on both of her wrists and neck.

"Human pheremones?"

"Bingo. Strong too, it's got twelve hour potency. Makes things go a bit easier."

Ino stood and left their table, left him behind, her hips swaying hypnotically as she cozied up next to their target. In a high, flirtatious voice he heard her introduce herself as Nakajima Eri. The guy introduced himself as Kuranosuke but Neji hardly noticed - he was too distracted by how the guy was tracing a path with his thumb back and forth suggestively along Ino's inner wrist. Much sooner than Neji expected, Kuranosuke was leading Ino out of the bar.

He sat a while, his expression pensive enough to ward off any suitors as he tried to amuse himself by keep watch over the patrons of the bar. Time crawled by, mocking him, and Neji tore the scarf away from his face in a small burst of anger as he realised _he missed Ino's presence_ and the scent of her pressed against his nose was making him crazy. He needed some fresh air. Now.

* * *

Kuranosuke slammed her small frame roughly against the wall and Ino was a good enough actress not to soften the impact. She yielded when his hand pulled roughly on the hair at the nape of her neck, gasping in response to the force he used and allowed him to cover her mouth with his. Pleased with her cooperation, he lessened his grip when she started to return the kiss. As his guard lowered and he gave himself to the passion of tongue-wrestling, Ino slipped a hidden pill from her mouth to his. He was knocked out in under a minute.

Supporting Kuranosuke's weight as he slumped forward, Ino lowered his body to the floor and seated herself beside him. There was no telling how long he'd be out - ninety minutes, two hours if she was lucky. Different people's bodies processed the drug at different rates. She'd need all the time she could get to fully erase his memories, implant the idea of murdering Nobunaga in his mind, and reconstruct his personality. Erase. Rebuild. Reboot. By the end of it, he would have no awareness at all that he was under a jutsu and wouldn't have any recollection of ever meeting Ino, but would be programmed to respond to coded command words embedded into his subconscious.

Chewing on her bottom lip, Ino cracked her knuckles and placed her hands on his head. It was freezing cold in the cheap motel room he rented them, but she had a job to do.

* * *

Outside of the bar, white eyes spotted his blonde partner making her way to their rendevouz point to meet him. She was thirty minutes late and he had been starting to wonder if something had gone wrong. As Ino walked closer he scanned her outward appearence to be sure. There was an unmistakable flush to her cheeks, her hair was all over the place and her lips were bright and bitten pink in color. And she looked _exhausted_. She was standing in front of him looking for all the world as if she'd just been thoroughly ravished and something in his mind was growling that this was wholly unacceptable.

"Did you...?"

"Did I _what_?"  
She fumed. He'd better not be asking what she thought he was asking. She was a _kunoichi_, damnit, and far above the likes of whoredom. How dare he suggest otherwise!

His eyebrows drew together, face setting into a frown Ino was getting all too familiar with.  
"Do you take some kind of delight in antagonizing me?"

Ino scoffed. "Don't flatter yourself, the world doesn't revolve around you."

"No, but your behavior has been abnormal lately. You haven't been yourself in weeks. Are you well?"

"I'm fine." she snapped back at him.

"No, you're not."

Neji stepped closer to Ino and her reaction was immediate: the dimming of her eyes, the unconscious parting of her lips, and a dainty step backward. He leaned forward slightly, testing her limits and feeling more confident with each small display of unease. His silver eyes locked directly onto hers and Ino swore he could've melted _steel_ with that look.

"You're attracted to me."  
Ino froze, completely taken aback. Neji's voice dropped an octave lower, dangerously silken and tantalizing.  
"Am I wrong?"

She fought a shudder. "You're wrong."

Her denial was silenced as he seized the opportunity and closed the distance, sealing his lips to hers. The kiss was soft, hesitant, and brief and they broke for air breathing shallowly and all too loudly to their own ears. Neji's voice came out just above a whisper, his words blending into the shared air space between them.

"I'm not."

Ino was furious at herself for her lack of self control, her thoughts a raging storm of self-criticism.

_Don't be stupid, you knew he was aware you had feelings for him. You _wanted_ him to know. You _wanted_ him to kiss you even though it's wrong. You're going to ruin his marriage. Hell, you're going to ruin _him_. Look at how your influence makes him act. It's like you're trying to seduce him._

The Hyuuga saw her shift in emotions. "You're going to tell me I shoudn't have done that."

She glared holes into the floorspace beside his feet.  
"No, you shouldn't have. Don't act like you've got me all figured out. You don't know me."  
_I'm manipulative._

"Yes, I do."

"Oh please. You don't know anything about me outside of battle."

"You're left handed. The strong flavor of umeboshi makes your eyes water. You prefer nights over mornings. You bite your nails when you're angry. You change the barrette in your hair every week. You're good with children. There's a small scar on your right cheekbone under your bangs. And you're poor at reading maps. _I know you_, Ino."

She was stunned by the intimacy of the moment, the tender tone in his voice as for once he said her first name instead of calling her 'Yamanaka'. Still, she clenched her jaw and frowned at the man standing calmly before her.

"That doesn't change anything."

"It changes _everything_."

"I already know where your heart is."

She started to turn away, stopping the conversation, stopping the contact.  
Just _stopping_.  
He blocked her.

"...what if it's with you?"

All of the air went out of her lungs. It was the pheremones talking, it was. It had to be. It was easy to confuse _like_**lust**love even when clear-headed and under chemically-induced hormones she was sure it was impossible to differentiate. She wouldn't dare let herself believe that there was any sincerity in that statement, wouldn't dare take it for truth because believing would leading to hoping and Ino knew...

"Then it's in pieces. I don't want to be loved with a _piece_ of a heart, Neji."

...that there was still Tenten. And whatever was building between them could be nothing more than an anti-romance; a cheap imitation of a fairytale love story.

A look passed in his eyes as if he were willing her to understand him and Neji lifted her chin and kissed her again, _and she let him_. In the back of her head Ino kept warning herself that this was just a kiss, that she'd been kissed hundreds of times and that this didn't mean anything to her. But it was no use because she knew that this moment would burn itself into her memory because it was _everything_ to her, and to deny that was to deny the sun in the sky. Her conscience warned her: _keep playing with fire and you're gonna burn_. But whether she would admit it or not, it was already too late, she was already too far gone to care. It was all she could do to not throw her arms around his neck.

When they finally found the will to seperate their mouths some minutes later, both were deathly silent, eyes looking everywhere but at each other.

They came to a mutual decision to skip their alloted rest time and set out for Konoha early.

* * *

Passing through Konoha's gates, the awkwardness between the two jonin had yet to dissapate. They walked a wide eight feet apart from each other, the natural rhythm of their steps irregular and cautious. A wind blew at their backs but neither of them could enjoy it. A small distance into the village, Akamaru came barrelling out of nowhere and almost knocked Ino off her feet. He licked at her face, nudged her side roughly with his nose, and wagged his tail in elation. Initial shock subsiding, Ino pat his head and walked onward. Akamaru followed her like a lovesick puppy. Soon Kiba too was suddenly _right beside_ Ino and practically drooling, trying not to be too obvious about checking her out while he made small talk. Neji frowned as he remembered a certain conversation he'd had with Kiba.

_She's a knockout. I asked her out once_.

He let his chakra spike and the dog-nin immediately backed up from Ino, granting her one last grin before trudging over to Neji.  
Kiba chuckled. The Jyuuken user looked ready to slay dragons.

"Just a partner, right? If you don't fight for the things you want, people will take them from you."

"_No one_ will take her from me."

Kiba shrugged, the carnal glint in his eyes still apparent. "She ain't yours."

Beyond Kiba, Neji could see Shiranui Genma and Namiashi Raidou chatting Ino up. His chest burned as he recognized the dog-nin was right; Ino wasn't his and never would be.

* * *

Ino took a deep breath and stretched from head to toe, feeling much cleaner and relaxed now that she'd washed away the chemicals that had just possibly ruined her 'professional' relationship with her partner. _Stupid science with it's universal effictiveness_. She pursed her lips and drifted out of her bathroom, walking past her pile of dirty clothes on the floor and coming to sit on the bed. _I should probably take that extra vial of pheremones out of my weapons pouch before it gets broken or something. That'd be a problem. Can't let this stuff get anywhere near Neji again._ Ino caught herself thinking about the kiss and quickly forced that image out of her mind. Snapping open her weapons pouch, Ino's hands froze.

Laying neatly across the rest of her items was a shiney ivory hairstick.

It was nothing fancy, by professional standards, but it was sleek and tapered to a fine point and in the event of emergency Ino imagined it would jam quite painfully into someone's coratid artery or eye socket with ease.

She didn't know how long she stared at the item before she got dressed, grabbed a bouquet of flowers downstairs, and headed out the front door. She felt dazed and allowed herself to zone out as her feet walked on autopilot, knowing the path she walked by heart. By the time she'd stopped, her mood had darkened from disbelieving to somber.

"Hey. I brought you some flowers. Cameilias this time, I know you don't like the fancy stuff."

Ino set the colorful flowers at the base of the headstone and knelt beside them, eyes cast downward almost in a refusal to look at the name on the granite.

"Sorry I haven't visited in a while, I don't really have an excuse. Asuka's growing up well. We're all taking good care of her. She's adorable and really clever, she'll break some hearts one day."

She forced a weak smile, then dropped it completely. It wasn't like he could see it anyway.

"Sensei, you never asked too much of us, but I think I'll have to break my promise. I think I'll lose to Sakura in love after all."

Ino shut her eyes and drew a deep, deep breath before she continued.

"I know Shikamaru was your favorite, he's a better listener than me and Chouji, but I always heard you. I didn't always understand, but I always heard you. Remember Shikamaru's celebration dinner after the first chuunin exams? The four of us sat down and we told you everything that happened before the matches - everything that happened in the Forest of Death. You told us you were proud we were brave, but that we were stupid for interfering with Sakura's team. That my bleeding heart was going to get us killed one day. You asked me why I was willing to lead my team to their deaths over something that didn't involve us. Do you remember what I said? _Because I love Sasuke._ Because love is worth pain, even death, and I wasn't afraid to die for it. And you told me it was foolish to risk death for someone who wouldn't do the same for me. That I was wasting my time and that wasn't real love. You said I'd know real love when I felt it."

"You were right. When it's real,"

She paused, collecting her thoughts.

"When it's real, it's _real. _You can ignore it, deny it, and reject it but it's still there, waiting. It doesn't go away. I understand that now, Asuma-sensei. I'm in love."

Her eyes watered and she tried in vain to blink away the moisture.

"But Shikamaru's right, he always is. It's hopeless to love someone who's unable to love me back. I'm really hardheaded, aren't I? To make the same mistake twice. Are you disappointed?"

She listened for an answer that would never come, remembering childhood dreams of a garden wedding she now knew she'd never have.

* * *

Meditating in the grassland behind his house, Neji finally loosened his grip on his thoughts. Though he tried in vain to redirect his focus, his mind invariably shifted right back to the one thing - or rather, person - he was trying to avoid. Yamanaka Ino. Stuck in his brain like an arrow.

The fact occurred to him, much overdue, that he was quite possibly in love with her. _For real._

He hated himself for it.

He had been overindulgent, he knew that now, though no matter how much he tried he couldn't tell how much of it was her pheremones working and how much was his own infatuation. A kiss like that one could never happen again. Scratch that - _no kiss_ with her could ever happen again. He hadn't even been able to look Tenten in the face when he got home, couldn't bear the shame and guilt he knew he'd feel looking into her chocolate brown eyes. He'd walked in the front door, announced he was going to go train with Hinata, and walked out the back door. Kami, who was he becoming?

Hinata had seen right through his wintry exterior and known something was wrong. And though she'd dodged and blocked through their entire practice in silence, in the end her compassionate nature had triumphed over her schooled detachment and she spoke out. _Nii-san, you've worked so hard for your life. Aren't you happy?_ Not in a state to lie to her, he'd ignored her words altogether.

As luck would have it Hiashi too had been studying his change in demeanor as he fought Hinata, and when his daughter left at the end of her taining session, Hiashi had come to sit beside him. Quietly, his uncle asked him if he'd recently taken a lover.

Neji denied it.

And here he was now. Here he was now, unable to do anything more than to _wish_ away his problems. He wished he'd never fallen for Ino. He wished he'd never been teamed up with her. He wished Naruto hadn't changed him during the chuunin exams, that he'd still be a bitter, lonely person pushing everyone and everything away from him. He wished Tenten had never fallen in love with him. He wished he'd taken Ino up on that offer in the Forest of Death so many years ago.

But it was much too late to be making wishes, the past would never change.

* * *

**A / N : 14 chaps in and this is as much NejIno as I've given you? You guys must be angels, I would be raging if I were you. Rest assured that your patience will be rewarded. ****And be careful, Kiba. Don't make Neji go Incredible Hulk on your ass. Been planning that kiss scene since forever, I'm rather please with how it turned out. My heart's kinda going out to Tenten right now, but things are what they are. Also: Ricochet has fanart! Links on my profile~**


	15. Chapter 15

**Ricochet**

The Hokage had not been kidding when she mentioned an increase in mission frequency. In the span of two weeks, the Hyuuga-Yamanaka pair had completed eight missions. Flawlessly. And now Neji found himself being handed yet another assignment. Despite her initial reluctance over forming the team, Tsunade had come around to the extent that, if he didn't know better, Neji would say the duo had earned a spot on her favorites list. Nevertheless, Neji couldn't help but to wish Tsunade were a little less eager to find them work. Exhaustion was looming in the near future, and if it caught him...Well. He'd just have to make damn sure that didn't happen. Ino had a tendency to disobey at the _worst_ times, and he knew with bone-chilling certainty that if he ever commanded her to leave him behind, she wouldn't. And it was that very scenario he couldn't risk.

He'd been risking too much lately as it was.

Falling in love with Yamanaka Ino had been the shock of his life, unlike the smooth transition he'd felt when he allowed himself to love Tenten. With her, things had been comfortable, gradual, precise. Ino, of course, was the singular most _unsimple_ person he'd ever met. He didn't know why he hadn't been wary of falling for her from the start, or why it had taken a kiss for him to stop denying that he had fallen. Initial awkwardness aside, things between him and Ino had carried on as if the kiss had never happened; like nothing at all had changed. The act of openly ignoring a change in team dynamics was foreign to him and, watching Ino behave normally, he wondered if the kiss had meant anything at all to her.

Unravelling their mission scroll and glancing over it's contents, the weight of reluctance settled down on his shoulders. He'd need to have a talk with Ino about her qualifications for this one. If she wasn't up to standard he'd have to _bring her_ up to standard, and given that the mission start time was nine hours away that didn't leave him with much time.

* * *

A glimpse of movement through the window beside her front door had Tenten glancing awkwardly at the spot, anticipating the knock of a visitor. When moments passed and no knock came, the brunette set down the large shirt she'd been stitching and crossed the room to open the door. What she'd suspected she'd find would be a paper notification of sorts, either from a family member or another shinobi. For her husband, of course. What she got was one slightly taller round faced female with an intimidating - if not currently uncomfortable - gaze. Also known as Hyuuga Hanabi. Tenten opened the door wider in invitation and stepped to the side.

"Hanabi-chan. Were you looking for Neji?"

The younger girl shifted her weight slightly, and in that moment Tenten was reminded of Hinata.

"No. I've come to borrow some supplies."

The words clicked into Tenten's brain like a puzzle piece fitting it's perfect spot. It explained the usually subtley fierce girl's sudden hesitance; to admit needing help even in minor ways was something the Hyuuga did not promote, and Hanabi was Hyuuga to the _bone_. Still, the simple act of being useful pleased Tenten and she waved the girl inside with a sweep of her arm. Closing the door behind her, she almost smiled as she turned to face her cousin-in-law. It wasn't often anyone other than Lee or her grandmother visited. She would try to enjoy this visit, however brief or impersonal it might be.

"What kind? Tools? Bandages?"

"Pain suppressants."

Tenten did a double-take, eyes immediately looking for hidden injuries out of habit. It was a slice of deja vu as the former kunoichi remember many, many incidents of Neji neglecting his wounds and subsequently incurring her disapproval. She took a few steps to her right and produced a small brown pouch from one of the shelves on the wall. Handing it over, she couldn't help but to feel concerned.

"Is it serious?"

"It's nothing."

"When Neji says that it usually means it's _something_."  
At that, Hanabi cracked a smile and Tenten noticed how lackluster it was. And the sweat staring to gather on her brow. "Are you sick?"  
The smile withered away. Tenten took that as a sign she'd hit the bullseye. "You should go to the hospital."

"It would be frivolous to go for something that will pass on its own."

Maybe it was her pregnancy strengthening her intuition, but Tenten took a step closer, reached out, and took a gentle hold on Hanabi's lower arm. It was burning hot. Kami, her brain had to be feeling like an egg in a boiling pot. She released the girl's arm and they both stood awkwardly as Tenten made a decision. Disappearing into the kitchen, Tenten returned seconds later with a bulging, dripping cloth pressed the cool material to Hanabi's forehead. It was the first maternal thing she'd ever done and the action felt strange to her, but she figured it was something she'd have to get used to. She had years of scraped knees, bellyaches, and sore throats to look forward to when her child was born. Had it really only been six weeks since she conceived? Four weeks since she'd known? With every passing day, she could feel herself embracing the pregnancy and anticipating motherhood.

"You're welcome to stay here and rest. It helps a little when there's someone around to get you iced water when you're too drain to get out of the bed. I won't tell anyone."

Hanabi closed her eyes, the blissfully chilly ice in the cloth easing some of the burn of the lava rivulets running amok under her skin. Leaving wasn't even an option.

* * *

Plucking another handful of wolfsbane from the herb section of the garden, Ino stuffed it into her quickly-filling apron pocket and pulled at another bunch. The shade from her flowershop behind her saved her from having to squint as she checked each plant she picked for decay and parasites and continued on down the row. She usually liked the simplicity of this particular task: it was a series of repetitive motions that didn't require any real thought and she typically used the time to reflect on her problems. Today she simply wished she had brought the radio outside with her, maybe it could drown out the voices in her head. Or rather _the_ voice, the one voice she seriously didn't want to acknowledge.

That voice that wouldn't shut up about _him_.

_He's married. He can't marry you if he's married. Why would you fantasize about a wedding when he can't marry you? Who said he would even want to marry you? Who said he loved you? He didn't. He never said that. He never will. He's married. You know, that thing you'll never be because all the perfect guys are either taken or traitors. You shouldn't even be working with him - falling in love with a teammate is never a good idea! Isn't that the advice you gave Seiji-kun about the little orange-haired girl last year? Bravo, hypocrite, bravo. At least the orange-haired girl isn't married. At the end of the day, Seiji still stands a chance. You don't._

Perhaps for normal people, it would have been easy to ignore the rambling of one's conscious mind, but for a Yamanaka it was much more difficult. Her brain was a trained weapon in its own right, and now that weapon had turned against her. Just like her heart had. And she couldn't blame her inner voice, she did make perfect sense. She was beautiful, though she had never asked to be, and with that beauty came drawbacks. Ino was the kind of woman men dismissed, lusted after, or even feared. The untamable vixen, the legendary tease, the bubble-headed beauty. The kind of woman men craved

- but never married.

And maybe that was what she was to _him_ too. Why else would he toy with her they way he did? He noticed the effect he had on her; he'd said so himself when he was under the influence of pheremones. But would he really be so cruel as to taunt her?

_"What if it's with you?"_

He wouldn't. Who could have the mindset to play games when pheremones were confusing everything above basic instinct? He couldn't have. A man would have to have the willpower of a brick wall to be capable of cohesive thought in that circumstance. Though he had shown enough restraint to keep his distance from her for the entire ten hour trip home afterward. Ten hours of exposure to one of the most potent chemicals Ino knew of. Kami. How much willpower did Neji possess?

"Ino-chan! Oi, you back here onee-chan?"

Konohamaru's voice pierced through her thoughts and Ino looked back, watching as the younger male made his way over to her. She smiled on reflex before worry crossed her features.

"What's wrong? Did something happen? Is Asuka okay?"

Naruto's unofficial sidekick looked puzzled. "Huh? Oh, oh no, nothing like that."

Ino breathed. Thank goodness. She didn't know who she'd have to whoop if something had happened to her sensei's only child. She wiped the dirt on her hands onto her apron and straightened up, knuckles on her hips.

"Okay then, spill. What's got you rushing over here without your team?"  
The instant spread of scarlet tinting his cheeks gave him away before he could answer and, ever the intuitive, the Yamanaka immediately figured it out.  
"_Oh_. Wait don't tell me, you like one of them?"  
Konohamaru grimaced at her saccharine tone of voice. It only fuelled her on.  
"Which one? Moegi or Udon?"

"Moegi! Jeez." he replied, obviously insulted that she implied he could be anything other than hetero.

"Ah. So then, you still haven't told me what brings you over here." The blonde grinned from ear to ear knowingly and the young Sarutobi's blush darkened. Kami, she was going to make him _say it_. He cleared his throat, trying to put on a brave front, but there was no hiding his bashfulness and his voice came out quieter than she'd ever heard it.

"...How do I get her to like me?"

Ino squealed, enveloping Konohamaru in a bear hug usually reserved for Asuka and he turned his face to the side to avoid a face-full of blonde hair. He could barely look at her when she let him go and Ino made a conscious effort not to laugh. It was hard to remember sometimes that he was fifteen now instead of thirteen. She gestured to the plants at her side, indicating for him to help her pick the herbs while they talked, and Konohamaru was grateful for something else to focus on.

"What makes you so sure she doesn't already like you?"

Konohamaru rattled off a list of things Ino listened to, injecting comments every so often until he finished and asked again for suggestions. The mindwalker pretended to give it some thought, rolling her eyes skyward and tapping on her lips with a finger.

"Well...have you ever tried treating her like a girl?"

He stared blankly.

_Boys are eternally hopeless_.

"Like how?"

"Like your uncle Asuma treated Kurenai : pay attention to her. Spend some time with her without Udon. Make her feel important."

"That's it?"

"That's it. Girls really aren't that complicated. At least, kunoichi aren't."

"Yamanaka. A word."

Ino had sensed a third person's presence seconds before Neji dropped down silently behind her, seemingly out of the sky. Konohamaru on the other hand was startled. Ino nodded and turned to the rookie chuunin apologetically. "I've gotta go. Let me know how things go with you-know-who?"

"Yeah. Thanks Ino-chan!" The young Sarutobi flashed a thumbs up before dashing away, back into the flowershop and out the front door. Ino went in the opposite direction, passing the boundary of her garden and into the woods with her partner.

* * *

Bits and pieces of potato chips dotted Shikamaru's shirt sleeve as Chouji munched happily beside him and a cloud shaped like a shoe passed high overhead. It was a moderately good day, or at least it would be, if he could bring himself out of his gloomy mood and ease his headache. His brain was full, mostly of things he really didn't want to care about, and his light, fluffy clouds were failing in their duty to calm him. Chouji, however, seemed completely unaffected by his grim attitude.

"I trained with Ino earlier, you should have come. She's gotten the hang of that jutsu she was practicing and she was _so happy_. She wanted you to be there."

Shikamaru grunted in response, and when that didn't satisfy his plump friend, he resorted to something he rarely had the motivation to do - lying.

"I was busy."

Chouji stopped chewing, swallowing his mouthful and curling down the top of his bag to keep the rest of the chips fresh for later. Shikamaru could practically _feel_ the frown he was giving him.

"Bullshit. You're never busy. You're not seriously still avoiding her, are you? She doesn't deserve that."

Naturally, the kind-hearted Akimichi didn't understand. Unfortunately for him, the shadow user wasn't in the mood to explain.

"It's...complicated." Shikamaru suppressed a groan, that sounded lame even to his own ears. Worse, it sounded like something a woman would say.

"Then use words I can understand. You're throwing things off between the three of us, and none of us want that. What's your problem with Ino? You've never stayed away from her for this long."

Shikamaru winced. Burdening Chouji with the knowledge that was eating his brain alive wasn't something he wanted to do but now seemed inevitable. He deserved to know.

"I don't know what to say to her. It's not just a crush this time Chouji, Ino's in love."

"That's all?" Chouji deadpanned, looking unconcerned.

"The guy she's in love with is Neji."

Cue the look of shock and horror painted across a chubby face. Perhaps he should have lead into that announcement a little better, but it was out now and Shikamaru could tell his friend didn't know exactly how to take the news. As his surprise gave way to a more somber expression, Chouji lowered his voice.

"What should we do?"

It was the very same question that had been plaguing him for days now, the question he knew the answer to but found exceedingly hard to accept. Now Chouji would have to accept it too.

"Nothing. There's really nothing we can do but let nature run it's course and be there for her when she needs us."

And she _would_ need them. No matter how many angles Shikamaru studied the situation from, they all confirmed the suspicion he'd had all along: this wouldn't end well.

* * *

"...Most likely maximum security. We're to expect both a visual defense team as well as an undercover support team. We'll be under continual surveillance and Masamune Aoi is expected to be at the Orchid Pavillion at half past nine, which leaves us with approximately a four hour window to create an opening and make the switch. A transformation and chakra suppression will be necessary, they'll be checking for any unfamiliar chakra signatures. Have you familiarized yourself with _Yugameru Utsusemi no Jutsu_?"

Neji chanced a look at his partner, wondering if she was adept enough to use a skill that involved the layering of multiple techniques. Her pale blonde hair draped over the corner of the map as she leant over it, studying the layout intently. A finger trailed over an outlined structure and tapped absentmindedly as she acknowledged his question with a shake of the head.

"No, but I won't need it." Not that it would have been much use to her, anyway. The amount of chakra needed for something that complex would be more than she could sustain for more than a few minutes. Catching the disapproving look he shot her, Ino rolled her eyes. "Don't worry, I've been working on a little something with Chouji that's made for this kind of thing."

He didn't look convinced. "Demonstrate."

Clapping her hands in front of her, Ino stood completely stationary before him, disappearing only when he blinked.

_Shunshin no Jutsu?_ Veins at the corners of his eyes instantly enlarging, the Byakugan user scanned the area for the mindwalker's chakra. Ahead. Behind. Above. Below. He stretched his sight, peering into to distances he wasn't sure she could cover in such a short amount of time, but Ino was nowhere to be found. Skeptical, his hands formed the signs to cancel any genjutsu but nothing changed. As his eyes had already told him, there was no foreign chakra in his system. He couldn't see or sense his partner at all. It was unsettling.

To his infinite surprise, a strand of hair hanging loosely on his forehead was plucked straight from his scalp. On reflex, Neji's hand flew forward to grab at the space in front of him and clamped down around something solid. He forced just enough chakra into his palms to disrupt the flow of chakra from Ino's tenketsu and she was instantly _very_ visible. She grinned devilishly at him, incredibly pleased with herself even as she rubbed at her now sore wrist.

"See? Totally undetectable, even to high-level shinobi. You like it?"

His lips thinned and he released her wrist, backing away in compliance with the voice in his head that warned there was too little space between them to be appropriate.

_'Like' is a relative term._ "How...?"

"I got the idea from Shikamaru, actually. Ever since we were little he's had this ability to cover himself in shadows; we had to stop playing hide and seek since he always won because nobody could ever find him. Even now, when he does it I can't find him 'cause of - how did he explain it? It's not a genjutsu, he just wraps himself in shadows and since humans only see things that bend light, he's pretty much invisible."

"And you adapted the technique."

"Yeah. I mean, in a way. Shika's jutsu affects the eyes directly. _This_ is more targeted to your brain. The information your eyes see has to go somewhere, right? I just alter the mental image."

That explained why he couldn't sense her; she hadn't been hiding her chakra signature but instead she'd been blocking him from registering her presence. The fact that she had entered his mind, even partly, without his awareness had him feeling violated and biting back a reprimand. He'd never felt the need to defend himself against her before, but now he wondered if it was wise to leave one's mind unguarded against a Yamanaka. Then again, there _was no_ guarding one's mind against a Yamanaka, that was why they were so effective.

"Limitations?"

"I don't think I can hold it on more than two people, so we'll still need to identify the security personnel and minimize their presence. Other than that, we should be good to go." The blonde's smile faltered when she noticed the grim expression on Neji's face. "What?"

"The preparation of an effective plan requires full knowledge of your abilities. Are there any other new techniques of yours I need to know about?"

He'd been working with her intermittently for just over a year now, and she'd never mentioned working on developing new techniques. In fact, when he reflected over the rare times they actually held a conversation, he realized that Ino never discussed her jutsu or training. All he knew of her skill arsenal was what he'd seen with his own eyes, he didn't know what she did when she was out of his eyesight or the full extent of her capability at all, really. Come to think of it, he'd never questioned how it was exactly that a chuunin, at the time, had defeated an S class criminal. Never questioned how she'd found him in the Forest of Death after Gai died. Never questioned why she had the glowing adoration of everyone who had worked with her before and many who never had.

He'd told her that he knew her, but now doubts were rising.

Ino shrugged, then turned her head and spat four needles into a nearby tree.

"It's not exactly new, but there's that. Little something I picked up from Shizune-senpai when she was teaching me medical jutsu."

"That's it?"

"...And a few other things."

Silence fell between them as Neji crossed his arms and leaned against a tree, eyeing Ino contemplatively. She felt like fidgeting under the weight of his stare.

"Are you familiar with the definition of the term 'partner'?"

All traces of nervousness evaporated as Ino cocked her head to the side and crossed her arms semi-mockingly. "_Yes_, Hyuuga-taichou, I know what it means. I can spell it too."

"Then you should recognize the necessity of sharing pertinent information. I would think you, of all people, would know that."

It was a jab both at the unparalleled teamwork of Team 10 _and_ Ino's specialization in espionage and it stung as sharply as an angry bumblebee. Ino flushed, offended in spite of herself.

"And I would think _you_ would know the importance of keepings one's abilities unknown. You know, so nobody will abduct you just to harvest your organs."

The way his body went completely rigid told Ino she'd gone too far but she was angry now, too much so to care. She was tired of always arguing with Neji over everything. She was tired of acting like his indifference didn't matter. She was tired of pretending not to love him. And now that her patience was gone she wanted to know what she'd spent it on; what her heart had betrayed her for. A confession made while he was high on artificial hormones? A kiss that both of them were acting like never happened?

She blinked slowly, gathering her thoughts as his eyes stayed firmly set on her, unwavering. Sheepish, Ino ran a hand through her bangs.

"I'm sorry, that was...I shouldn't have said that. I apologize."

_Always arguing._ She was starting to think she was incapable of forming wholesome, platonic relationships with guys she had feelings for. Was she going to drive away every man she fell for? Why couldn't things go back to the way they had been before- Before what? There was no 'before', she couldn't even pinpoint the time when things began to change. They couldn't go back to a 'before' that didn't exist. _The last argument ended in a kiss_. She hurriedly pushed that thought away, shoving it waaaaay back to the recesses of her mind. Damnit, he was making her crazy when sanity was already a fine line to walk. Curse her treacherous heart.

Ino waited expectantly for the impending lecture on insubordination. Despite the taut lines of tension she saw on his face, Neji's voice softened. "You're safe with me. It doesn't matter who knows what you're capable of, I won't let anyone capture you."

...and now she felt like a first class bitch. Leave it to a genius to bring her crashing back down to earth when she thought he was being unreasonable; to snap out of his stoicism just enough to make her question what exactly he thought of her. _Never can figure him out_. Ino bit her inner lip.

"There's something I need to know. Why did you kiss me?"

She waited for answer, an excuse, a lie. Anything. Just...a clue in one direction or the other. Playing guessing games in her head was only leading her in circles, she was wearing her brain out trying to confirm whether or not her feelings were reciprocated. Ino almost welcomed the heartache of rejection just as long as she had an answer; not knowing was torture.

Neji paused, giving thought to his reply, and Ino braced herself as she watched his expression for a sign. Just when she was starting to wonder if he would ignore her question, he tilted his head to look her in the eyes and softly told her the words she least expected to hear.

"Does it matter why?"

Ino frowned almost reflexively. Had he been anyone else, he'd be getting verbally slaughtered for dodging a question when she was being serious but he wasn't 'anyone else', he was _Neji_, and for that simple fact she held her tongue and temper in check. Shaking her head lightly she let her gaze wander away from his searching eyes. It was cowardly, but she didn't feel much like being herself at the moment. She didn't feel brave. She didn't even want to _feel_.

"No, actually, it doesn't."  
With a curt nod Neji pushed off of the tree and his broad back that she knew better than the back of her own hand was moving away from her, away...always away. That was where everything went in her life, _away_.  
...And just maybe, that was where she needed to go too.  
In an instant she caught up to him, stubborn feet planted firmly in front of him as she blocked his pathway, hair still swinging from the movement.  
"And this doesn't either."

And she kindly returned the hell he'd put her through with the same action he'd done to her: a kiss, fully on the lips.

His surrender had been laughably short, and had Ino had the presence of mind to be amused she would have cheered in victory. As it was, with his lips - and soon, tongue - responding, it was difficult to think of anything much. It wasn't a short, chaste kiss like the first one he'd given her nor was it the frustrated and pleading kiss he'd given her after that. This kiss was in an entirely different category altogether. It was ravenous and dominating and stole her breath away in ways she hadn't known possible. It was a good look at the side of him she hadn't known and Ino embraced the moment wholeheartedly, eager to know more. He embraced _her_, his arms snaking around her back and pulling her so tightly to him it was painful. And this time she _did_ lock her arms around his neck, her sense of inhibition abandoned completely. When Ino lightly swept her tongue across the roof of his mouth he inhaled sharply, the kiss growing ever more agressive as the need for air somehow became less important mentally but urgent all the same. When Neji's lips finally shifted to her neck Ino gulped oxygen greedily, a half-strangled moan escaping her when he bit her rather roughly just under her jawbone. Her fingers threaded in the ebony locks at the nape of his neck and tugged shortly in retaliation before she pulled him back to her mouth. She could feel the hammering of his heart right through his chest, beating in synchronized frenzy with hers.

The next thing Ino knew, her arms were being pried away from Neji's neck as he slipped out of her grasp.

What was he doing? Kami, who had he thought he was? Certainly not Hyuuga Neji, jounin of Konoha, son of Hizashi and husband of Tenten. A man with obligations to fill and expectations to meet. A man who did not fear, did not forsake, did not fail. For a second he had imagined himself to be someone with free reign to do as he wanted, but that instant was past now and he knew he could not do this. He _would not_ do this to Tenten. He'd broken many morals in his life, and he'd break many more for the sake of his profession, but even immoral bastards had limits.

And he'd just reached his.

* * *

**A / N : Okay, so I officially can't stick to a deadline to save my soul. Next time I estimate a due date, don't listen. Ino and Neji argue almost nonstop, but with each argument they understand each other better. Oh Neji, how will you look yourself in the mirror? And finally, f***yeah! NejiIno is rising in popularity! I see you, new NejiIno writers! :D**


	16. Chapter 16

**Ricochet**

"This ends here."

There was an artic chill in his pallid eyes, a clinical detachment on par with Sai's non-emotive state that was perhaps the one thing that overrode his words and filtered into Ino's mind. The Hyuuga spoke the words as much for himself as he did for her because no matter how much he struggled against it, there was _something_ between them and it wasn't going away. Determination be damned. It was growing with time, and though quenched with satisfaction for the moment, Neji knew it would return. He needed to come up with some sort of plan before it did, while he could still think rationally.

A flash of hurt swept Ino's eyes before it was gone, replaced with something more neutral. Those were not the three words she had been hoping for.

It infuriated her, on some levels, that Neji would so easily cast aside something that seemed so natural and felt so perfect to her - how he could pass up something so profound and precious. But on others levels she was delighted. To demand the end of something, one first had to admit that there was something there to end. It had certainly taken him long enough. And while her track record for romance wasn't going so well - what was her average now? Zero for two? - she had to admit that at least she was making progress. His behavior had kept her guessing up until that point but that last kiss had outed him: the fact of the matter was that he had kissed back. He, who _had_ to have seen her coming and could have avoided her as easily as one quick step. He, who could pin a large man to the ground in two seconds flat. He'd kissed her back by his own free will and that meant that he felt it, that electromagnetic spark surging between them, begging to be acknowledged. _He felt it too_.

Not that Ino was complaining, but simple words would have sufficed; both her conscious and subconscious mind were going to have an absolute field day with that revelation. The moment may have passed but the memory remained, recorded in explicit detail in the depths of her mind. Now that her brain knew the exact feel of his hands across her skin, the intensity he was capable of putting into a kiss...her nights were going to get a lot more sleepless.

For now, as shallow of a victory as it was, it was enough.

"Understood."

The remaining eight hours flew by.

* * *

Dry heaving and and wiping at her mouth with the back of her hand, Tenten flushed the toilet with her free hand and watched the colorful contents of last night's dinner swirl away. It had been two days since Hanabi's impromptu visit and two since the start of her own battle against the contagion. Stupid. She'd been really, incredibly stupid to be handling infected blankets and clothes and not think she'd catch it too. Wasn't that Motherhood 101, protecting the unborn child from illness? She'd have to be more cautious when the baby was born.

Tenten straightened from her bent over position slowly, least a quick action inspire more convulsing, and braced her hands at the sides of the sink. The girl staring back at her from the mirror above it looked nothing like her, miserable and unkempt and feeble. What happened to the girl who once killed five men with nothing more than a broken teapot? Where was the girl who'd run twenty miles on broken toes? The girl who weathered four days of constant battle without a wink of sleep?

_Right. This is nothing. The first prenatal appointment is just a few days away, I can tough it out until then. The nausea will subside, the fever will break. Stronger than I was yesterday._ The brunette recalled Team Gai's motto with a wry smirk. _Maybe Hanabi and I _aren't_ so different._ She scrutinized her reflection with renewed resolve, letting go of the sink to stand on her own and backing away from it to see herself more fully. Her hands passed over her flat stomach proprietorially before she turned to the side and inspected her profile. There wasn't yet a bump to indicate her pregnancy, and for the moment Tenten was glad. Her shape was one last piece of herself she wasn't quite ready to give up yet.

* * *

Ten year old Masamune Aoi turned out to be an easier target than anticipated. Everything had gone according to the plan of Neji abducting the girl and whisking her away to a secure location while Ino assumed her appearence and chakra pattern, making it look as if she'd never left. From there they sabotaged the formation of an alliance with Takigakure - cleverly disguised in the form of an arragned marriage to a civillian magistrate - that would have jeopardized the small civillian town's treaty with Fire Country. By the night's end, the girl was returned to her quarters with nothing more than dirtied shoes as evidence she'd ever left. They'd even accomplished their secondary goal of gaining intel on Takigakure's manpower without so much as a raised eyebrow. Ino and Neji were working together like a well-oiled machine and it showed; if they had been efficient before, then they were absolutely phenomenal now.

Having the answer to the question that had been mutually haunting them made all the difference in the world. For the first time in a long time, Neji felt almost at peace. Months of frustration and weeks of self-loathing had finally subsided, giving way to the calm he'd been so strongly yearning for. The discovery of Ino's feelings for him had transformed his own from a burden he had to carry to a pillar to stand on.

She loved him.

He could hardly find the reasoning or merit behind it. Ino had seen from him not only his excellence but both his less guarded vulnerable side and his darker, easily provoked side and neither feared him like so many others nor ridiculed him for his sentimentality. She'd looked at him as a superior without placing sky-high standards on him for being talented and even now, standing on equal grounds, she didn't expect him to be superhuman. None of his achievements or failures seemed to make her think any more or less of him, and that gave him a sense of assurance he hadn't had since childhood.

He supposed they'd reached something like an unspoken truce now : _you know how I feel, I know how you feel, let's leave it at that_. A truce that, surprisingly, both of them were respecting. Ino was being the walking definition of a perfect subordinate and Neji found he had nothing negative to say to her. She didn't complain when he told her they wouldn't be going straight back to Konoha, that the Godaime had handed him _two_ scrolls and that they would simply be moving on to the second mission. The Yamanaka heiress had only quirked her head to the side, commented that it was rare to get a "double-header", and adjusted her direction. She didn't even complain when their cash ran low halfway on their journey, forcing them to pause their mission in order to gain _supplementary funds_. Also known as an unauthorized side job.

In the small village of Shurabi, they found exactly that. The pair offered temporary service and the villagers were more than happy to pay their requested fee in return for the elimination of a "monster" lurking around their border. Not that anyone had actually _seen_ the fiend, but as far as the story went about three people vanished into thin air every week, never to be seen again. At this rate, the village would be completely exterminated within a season and the inherent danger of an unseen monster picking them off little by little had the small community borderlining on hysteria. The duo almost felt bad for charging them. Almost. As the sun bid it's farewell and the moon made it's ascent, Ino and Neji prepared for a long night of scouting - starting with a bath.

It felt heavenly to lather away the grime building on her skin and grease slicking her hair, the peach-scented soap feeling absolutely divine as it tingled on Ino's skin. Cleansing away the lies and deceit of the former day and shedding the skin of another life she'd meddled in. Erasing all traces of everything but age as if it could purify her forever bloodstained limbs. She turned the knob higher, putting the spray on full power as she slowly rotated and watched the suds slide and slither and disappear into the drain. Cutting the water off, Ino groaned when she realized she'd left her comb in the bedroom. A quick scan of the bathroom, however, told her it didn't matter. Apparently the people of Shurabi had something against mirrors as the room was distinctly lacking that luxury. Ino put it out of her mind, coming to stand beside a waiting tub and easing into the steaming water neck-high.

Slowly but surely, the heat coaxed the stiffness out of her muscles and Ino allowed herself a level of comfort usually restricted to her home in Konoha. With Neji in the adjacent room, she was as safe as a kunoichi could ever be. _Neji_. Her idiot-genius of a partner. Didn't he realize that denial never solved anything emotionally? She'd had to learn that the hard way herself, but she thought the prodigy would've found a shortcut to that conclusion earlier. Denying their connection only made it more apparent, ultimately drawing more attention to it both consciously _and_ subconsciouly. Ino doubted Neji had noticed that while he had told her those three words with the coldest look ever in his eyes, his voice had been hushed and reverent. She doubted he even noticed that he'd been looking at her lips at the time.

Ino was nearing the edges of dreamland when she heard his voice through the door.

"The food is here."

Ino jerked out of her daze, blinking numbly before standing, wringing her hair out, and stepping out of the bathtub. She wrapped a towel around herself and sauntered into the bedroom, her gaze settling first on the modest tray of food on their low table, and then on her necessities pouch lying on the bedside. Extracting her comb and hair stick, Ino settled down at the table to start on her half of the platter. It was mostly vegetables in different formats : pickled, steamed, grilled, fried. They were being fed like a pair of rabbits. Killer rabbits.

Ino snickered under her breath, earning a curious glance from her partner as he readied himself for the bath. Ino smiled at him.

"We're killer bunnies."

The Hyuuga cast her an incredulous look before wordlessly sliding into the bathroom. Ino finished her portion of the meal, washed it down with unsweetened green tea, and set to work on detangling her ash blonde locks. By the time Neji returned from the bathroom, Ino had dressed and gone on ahead of him, considerately leaving his clothes folded in a neat pile by his food. It wasn't until he dressed himself that he noticed she'd stitched up the large rip in one of his shoulder seams - and taken the liberty of embroidering a small daisy overtop of it.

* * *

Sometimes it surprised Ino how whimsical and active the imaginations of civillians were. Monsters. As if! The true cause of their population decline was much less mythical and much more practical, Ino mused as rough tree bark bit into the flesh of her back and her head swam briefly from the collision. Shurabi's "monster" was human. Moreover, a kunoichi. After three long hours of scouring the surronding lands and working their way inward, Neji had been first to catch sight of what looked to be a normal situation playing out : an angry husband, a crying wife, some slapping around and some shoving. Nothing unusual, especially in a small, close-knit community. The giveaway had come afterward. The battered wife retreated to the bedroom with tear-streaked cheeks and a swollen eye and promptly composed herself, slipped out the nearest window, an accessed a hidden armory of weapons under the roof tiles. Among her stash Neji spied a hitae-ate bearing the symbol of Amegakure. From that point on there was nothing but fierce combat as the Leaf shinobi tag-teamed her blow for blow. The kunoichi hadn't had a prayer.

The sun inevitably rose declaring the day's start and, as more and more people awoke to the news that the "monster" had been defeated, excitement quickly spread. By the end of a typical breakfast time, a full-on celebration was in the works and Ino and Neji found themselves hailed as heroes and showered in gifts of gratitude. Most were politely refused, Shurabi having little to spare and almost nothing of outright value, and the two accepted only a fresh stack of clothing they planned to wear for the celebration in their honor before collecting their payment and going on their way.

Though she kept her remarks to herself, Ino wished they'd refused the clothes as well. The town's style of dress was distinctive and somewhat peculiar, making use of prints and hems with piping and chunky shoes that weighed even more than standard _geta_. She cringed at her color scheme of mauve, beige, and mint green and the chrysanthemum print that covered it all. Fully dressed in the ensemble, she felt ugly and clumsy and shot Neji an envious eye. Clad in a mustard yellow, tawny brown and slate grey outfit covered in oak leaf print he _still_ managed to look...like Neji. For that, a small part of her cursed his name. It didn't help that, on top of that, he was once again keeping a sizeable distance from her; skirting across the edges of her vision like a phantom.

Engrossed in her irritation, Ino stumbled over a pebble and her ankle rolled painfully to stave off face-planting on the ground and the immediate shame that would follow. Despite her proficiency with high and impractical shoes, the oddly-made footwear was getting the best of her. When it happened to her other foot two minutes later, Ino felt a steadying hand at the crook of her arm helping her to counterbalance. Without a word Neji walked beside her, eyes never drifting from the pathway ahead as they walked towards the heart of the village. Ino no longer noticed the weight of her clunky shoes.

Neji's hand had eventually drifted down to find hers once they melted into the crowd of people, leading her through the gaps between bodies towards the table specially prepared for them. All the while he wondered why they hadn't collected their payment beforehand and skipped out on the celebration so he wouldn't have to notice how unnaturally soft Ino's hands were for a kunoichi. The event was a colossal waste of time, the warrior in him insisted. But the _Neji_ in him observed that things had been far too emotionally tense lately, a break was needed. He regretted not listening to his inner warrior when halfway to their table, an unexpected face popped up.

"Hyuuga...Neji, wasn't it?" The gravelly sound of his voice rolled between them and the man's dark eyes trailed to Neji's side as if just noticing Ino there. He seemed to be a man who voiced his thoughts, following his appraising glance with a curious guess. "Honeymooning with the bride, are you? 'Til now I never believed 'em when they said you were hitched."

Ino smiled politely at the stranger, eyes alighting on the single feathered earring dangling from his earlobe and the way his curly auburn locks surrounded it.

_This guy a friend of yours?_

_An acquaintance. An ex-Kusagakure refugee turned wandering merchant. He's been a valuable source of information...at times._

_An insider on town gossip, you mean._

_More or less._

"Nothing of the sort, Endou-san."

"Pity then, for you anyway. All the more luck to your ladybird."  
He made a movement to grasp Ino's free hand, but thought better of it at the ominous look pale eyes sent his way. Instead, he inclined his head at her and grinned.  
"I'm Hajime, by the way. Lovely little doll, you are. I think I have just the kind of thing you might be interested in, something girls your age always ask me for-"

"Now is not a good time for bartering, _Endou-san_." Neji's voice lifted in an obvious indication for the man to leave, unaware of his tightening grip on Ino's poor hand.

"Nonsense! Anytime's a good time for bartering. Unless you're in a hurry to do- oh! _Oh_. Well, let me get out of you young folks' way then."

Hajime left with a parting wink, much to the mortification of the two shinobi. A mental picture of what he'd hinted at flashed in Ino's mind and, to her horror, Neji's as well. She hadn't cut the mental link from their short exchange earlier. Oh yeah, her imagination was definitely in on the conspiracy against her.

* * *

"Oh dear."

Tenten tensed under Shizune's touch as the medic poked and prodded at her belly, lingering on an area on the left of her abdomen. That, paired with the strained look on Shizune's face, couldn't be good. Genuine fear well up in her, prickling her skin. Something was wrong, something was wrong with _her and Neji's child_. And though the thought alone was already more than she could handle, Tenten need to know more. If there was any shot at correcting the problem, she needed to know how serious it was first. She drew a breath.

"What is it?"

Shizune frowned, running her hands over Tenten's stomach once more as if double-checking before looking her in the eyes. When she did, Tenten saw they were filled with sympathy.

"It looks like you have an ectopic pregnancy; the baby is developing outside of your uterus. It feels like it's over here, in your left fallopian tube."

Tenten sat up on her elbows, looking down at her stomach as if she could see what Shizune felt with her chakra. She had no idea what the older woman was telling her.

"What does that mean? Is that...bad?"

Shizune blinked slowly before covering one of Tenten's hands comfortingly. "It classes you as a high risk pregnancy. It means that the next few months may be very difficult for you, and that when the baby is developed enough, we'll have to operate instead of a standard birthing procedure." She turned her head, lowering her voice in loathing for the next words she had to say. "We usually terminate these kind of pregnancies, this requires an extensive amount of caution and constant monitoring and even then things can go badly. Embryos aren't meant to grow in the fallopian tubes, there wont be enough space to accomodate a baby. There is a high chance of the egg rupturing, killing the child, and possibly the mother as well."

Tenten's brain froze. There weren't words. She couldn't even fathom... Not this. Anything but this.

Shizune spared her some seconds to get her bearings before she asked the question she always hated to ask.

"Do you want to continue with the pregnancy?"

* * *

Neji was alert and concentrating hard as he and his partner trekked across lush, grassy terrain. The tips of each verdant blade brushed at his shoulders and for every hundred he trampled, a hundred thousand more waited their turn ahead. He was silently thankful there was no need to hide their approach for another four thousand feet; it would be hell navigating such vegetation without leaving tracks. Not to mention his tiny blonde partner would be considerably slowed down if she weren't trailing directly in his footsteps. Then again, he'd wager she'd move faster than the speed of sound if she could see what was stalking them beneath the soil like he could. The giagantic burrows in the ground he steered them around did nothing to understate the behemoth's epic size. He could only guess that the creature was either simply curious or not carnivorous as to why it simply tracked them and did not attack. Not that he wanted to stick around long enough to test that theory.

But whether he wanted to play the odds or not, Neji's feet were forced to a sharp standstill.

She wasn't behind him.

Some distance back, he could see her chakra silhouette through the obstructing grass. He doubled back without a second thought, eyes scanning all the while for danger and confusion mounting when he saw none. His mouth opened to question her when he got close enough but she beat him to it.

"I thought those were extinct!"

His sight instantly dropped to the ground to glance at their tagalong beast, but Ino's sights were set dead ahead of her with a level of awe and enthusiasm he'd only ever witnessed from Lee. He followed her gaze, slightly perturbed at the false alarm, and grunted when his eyes settled a pop of orange coloring in the vegetation.

"There will be time for sightseeing later."

There wouldn't be, but he still wasn't interested in tempting fate by standing stationary in such a disadventageous environment. Ino tore her eyes away from her discovery to plead her case.

"You _have_ to be kidding right now. Do you know what that is? That's the _Tintinnabulum_ _Serenitatis_. I've only ever seen it in books, botanists everywhere say it died out over three hundred years ago. This is, like, the botanical breakthrough of the century! I can't believe it's here..."

She made steps toward the flower and Neji immediately stopped her, seeing the open pit whose edge the flower rested on. And what waited in it. Channeling chakra to his feet for security, Neji came as close as he dared to the hole hidden to normal eyes and snatched the flower by the stem, casually handing it over to an appalled Ino.

"You just killed a possibly three hundred year old plant!" She exclaimed as she held it gingerly, half-expecting it to disintegrate on contact.

"You wanted to leave it here?"

"No! I - Yes! I mean...ugh." She frowned at the ancient beauty in her hands. It was the only one around, very possibly the only one left in the world, and he'd _killed it_. The florist in her was outraged. The kunoichi in her reasoned that it would've wilted on it's own eventually, unseen, and that would have been a bigger tragedy. The _woman_ in her was more than a little charmed by the romantic aspect of the action. Ultimately, the woman in her won. "Thanks."

And there was that world-tilting grin again, the one that had more pull over him than ought to be possible. That smile so different from all the others she gave to other people, so radiant and honest. The one just for him.

And Neji knew at that precise moment, with utmost certainty, that their delicate truce was destined for failure.

* * *

**A / N : I don't usually give spoilers, at least not publicly lol, but Tenten is not going to die. I summarized a lot of this chapter but**** you guys are smart, you get the point without filler paragraphs :) I apologize for the shortness, transitional chappie y'know. And remember Angst? It's coming back. Also, I just wanna take a sec to say thanks to all of you, reviewers and lurkers alike. You guys rock.**


	17. Chapter 17

**Ricochet**

He had been studying scrolls containing advanced Hyuuga techniques for three hours already while Tenten watched, anxiously hovering under the doorway. Seven long strips of parchment stretching in neat parallel lines laid out before him and a cup of tea sat untouched at his side as Neji sat in complete concentration. She hadn't seen him study in a long while, having mastered all existings forms of Jyuuken while still a teenager, and seeing him do it now made her skin prickle ominously. She had woken up this morning with the confidence of finally having made a decision: regardless of the risks involved, she would tell Neji about the baby she was carrying. He had a right to know, a right to bask in that knowledge even if there would be complications. He had a right to share the experience with her.

But...what had made him dig those scrolls out all of the sudden? What had changed? What fresh hell was the Godaime sending her husband to that he felt the need to research his own techniques? It had been some time since Tenten had last picked up a dictionary, but she was pretty sure the term "prodigy" still referred to someone with superior understanding who wouldn't need to stoop down to the level of re-reading old information. It was strange, and it wasn't the first strange thing she had noticed about him lately. Namely, she had some lingering curiousity over one of his shirts that seemed to have sprung a single flower embellishment on one of the shoulders. Something about it riled her suspicion -just wouldn't leave her alone- but he never made any mention of how it got there.

She didn't dare ask about it. If she were honest with herself, she was beginning to resent that she would _have_ to ask if she ever wanted to know. And not just about the stupid flower. Why did she have to ask, why didn't he just _tell her_ things? Maybe it was because she'd shed her occupation as a kunoichi, but more and more she felt like little secrets were being kept from her.

And maybe he wasn't, but maybe he _was_, and the fact that she could no longer say for sure which was true tormented her most of all.

* * *

Training was the answer, it had to be. If training wasn't the answer, then the right questions weren't being asked. Gai taught him that. And with his body already at it's peak physical condition, all Neji could think to do was to train his mind. More focus, more discipline, don't lose sight of the goal. Even if that goal was less than clear. He was fighting a losing battle against his feelings for Ino, that much was perfectly obvious. Perhaps he was fighting this the wrong way, but what else could he do? Wasn't the whole point of taking her on as a subordinate the fact that nobody else could work with him so flawlessly? He couldn't ask to be assigned a new partner now, the Hokage would pummel him. And any hope of simply maintaining a platonic relationship with Ino was long gone, there were far too many sparks flying for them to be "just friends". As if they'd ever been friends to begin with. The two of them had been many things - antagonists, teammates, admirers, saviors, confidants - but never _friends_. And they never would be.

Any way he looked at it, their lives were twined now, and part of that fusion had been his doing. He'd let emotions cloud his judgement and now it felt like everything in his life was out of balance. Even Tenten could feel it; he could sense the nervousness rolling off of her in waves. She always seemed to be just on the verge of saying something, only to clam up and walk away. Because of him and his uncertainty, his own wife didn't feel comfortable talking to him. And to think, he'd been entertaining the idea of starting a family! And for what? For the sake of pleasing his uncle? To give his wife a sense of being needed, to make up for not being able to give her the time and attention she deserved? A child wouldn't fix any of those things, only he could, he saw that now. If only he knew how.

* * *

"It doesn't even look like you _tried_ to avoid this one. There's five shades of purple here, easy. Trust me, I know my shades of purple."

Mitarashi Anko snickered at the blonde tending her injuries and chewed more on her dango stick, the sweet syrup flavoring nearly gone. "I wasn't. Barely noticed it, really."

Ino rolled her eyes dramatically as she finished wrapping the muslin around the older kunoichi's midsection and secured it in place. She tried to avoid glancing at various two-pronged puncture scars dotting Anko's body almost in a pattern. _Snake bites._ All were old, all measured the same distance between the dual punctures. All from the same serpent. It was beautiful in a macabre kind of way.

"Somehow I find that hard to believe."

Anko made a show of popping her joints before standing up and and clothing the upper half of her body. "Believe what you want. Hate-sex is a pretty incredible thing and a damn good distraction if your timing's off."

It was too late to stop herself from making a face, but the medic tried to keep her brain from guessing who the snake mistress had had "incredible hate sex" with while she scribbled notes on her clipboard and told her rather impetuous patient she was free to go. Filing the new paperwork into Anko's medical records, Ino stole a stick of gum from Sakura's cubbyhole at the nurses' station before signing herself out and starting towards the door before supervisor Oyone called out to her.

"Oh Yamanaka-chan, are you on your way out? Would you do a final diagnostic on Lee-kun before you go? He's being discharged later today."

"Sure."

Lee? Lee was in the hospital? He was practically indestructible! He was probably the only shinobi Ino knew who could spar with Neji when said Hyuuga was in a foul mood and _survive_. A feat which Ino was near certain had more to do with Lee's speed than anything else.

Turning on her heel, Ino drifted down the hospital hallways until she found room 216B and let herself in. To say she was unsurprised to see all the furniture moved to one side of the room while Lee did what could only be described as aerobics on steroids would be, well, true. The same could not be said for the sight of him doing so _in a hospital gown_. Buns of steel bared to the world. For once in her life wishing he was wearing the hideous crime of fashion that was his green jumpsuit, Ino covered her eyes with one hand. She wavered between being repulsed that it was Lee's bare backside she'd seen and being impressed that you could probably bounce coins off of it. Although if _Lee's_ ass looked that good, she could only imagine what N-

"Ino-san, you have come to visit me? Have you brought Sakura-san with you?"

She dropped her hand, thankful to see he'd turned around to face her. "Nope. It's just me. I came to _-You do know there's underwear on the bathroom shelf right?- _I came to give you one last checkup before they release you."

Rock Lee's look noticably dimmed, his good-natured smile falling away into mere memory and he sunk onto the oatmeal colored blanket of his bed disappointedly. "I was hoping for the chance to see Sakura-san again before I leave."

Ino took a seat beside him, not entirely sure how to comfort the usually perky ninja but willing to try. "'Again'? That's good then, right? She's been coming to see you?"

"I requested her as my nurse."

Of course he did. His life revovled around Team Gai and Sakura; he probably considered it a convenience to have injuries severe enough to warrant admittance and weeks of recuperation. It would increase his chances of interaction with the only girl he'd ever took time off from training long enough to pursue. Speaking of girls Lee spent time with...

"Has Tenten come to see you? Does she know you're in here?"

His thick, caterpillar-like eyebrows met in contemplation and it was only then that Ino noticed his hair had grown enough to mostly cover them. Actually, now that she got a better look at him, it was brushing the tops of his shoulders. How many weeks had he been in the hospital?

"Sakura-san said she did." An almost wistful smile tugged at his lips before the taijutsu master seemed to remember something and his expression changed. "She said Tenten visited and that she will be back in some months. I did not understand what she meant, she said something about Neji being the cause of her illness? It does not make sense, Neji would never hurt Tenten."

"Tenten's sick? Whoa, wait, PAUSE. Sakura said she thought Neji was the reason?"

"I must have misunderstood?"  
Somehow Ino doubted that. An astute medical protege like Sakura wouldn't say something like that for kicks and giggles.  
"Is Neji well?"

Genuine concern shone in his eyes and Ino was struck by the childlike innocence there. He was an open book, completely unguarded even though he hardly knew her, and the awkwardness of having a heart-to-heart conversation with Konoha's Green Beast evaporated. The whole Nice Guy thing wasn't an act. Hell, if he'd just change his wardrobe... His birthday! Next time she spoke with Neji, she was going to ask him when Lee's birthday was and when it came he would be in for an Entire. Day. Of shopping. He could handle it, she was sure, and then she'd hunt him down a girlfriend. Somewhere there had to be a girl out there wishing for a bubbly, romantic warrior for a boyfriend.

Oh, hadn't he just asked her something about Neji?

"Yeah, Neji's fine. Don't worry, I take good care of him."

"Thank you, Ino-san."

A light breeze rushed across the tops of Ino's thighs when a mission scroll abruptly appeared in her lap, the familiar image of the Hokage's seal bearing up at her with all the lure of infamy and the promise of bloodshed. The sight of it never failed to make her heartrate drop in a moment of cold consideration. Would _this_ be the mission that made her famous? Would _this_ be the mission that maimed her career? Would _this_ be the mission where she wouldn't be able to save Neji? It was a constant game of roulette and she always bet on red.

_So much for making it to Yamaguchi's Boutique before the midday rush._

She bid Lee farewell, jotted down some closing remarks in his file, and left the hospital before any more favors could be asked.

* * *

She showed up on his doorstep unannounced with her hair swept back half up and half down, donning a white backless halter and a dark blue wrap skirt that barely landed mid-thigh. If she'd come over with the sole intention of distracting him it would have been mission accomplished, but the scroll gripped in her left hand told him otherwise. He invited her in with a slight incline of his head and she brushed past him, hints of lavender and jasmine trailing after her. Shutting the door, he wordlessly led her through the livingroom and down the hall, into the room he was using as a study. He took a seat crosslegged on the floor and Ino arched an eyebrow at the clutter, cleared some space between the documents, and planted herself so closely in front of him their knees touched. The mission scroll unfurled between them.

"This is where she's assigned us."

"How long ago was this delivered?"

"Half an hour. It's not time-sensitive, we should be able to take the full six days of travel, maybe even an extra half day if the weather's bad."

"Logistics look clean. Do you have the paperwork?"

"I will by the time we cross out of Fire Country borders. The shogun's _kana_ are hard to imitate. He writes like he's had a stroke or has crippling arthritis or something. Horrible penmanship, _horrible_. I mean, if Oda-sensei could see it-"

"Ino."

"Right. But really, a chicken could write better."

"Then perhaps you should use a chicken."

In her outburst of laughter, she missed his amused smirk.

* * *

She almost didn't hear the knock at the door through her thoughtful daze, but Neji did and was already up and out of the room before it occurred to Tenten to get it herself. She watched the hallway he disappeared down before standing and retreating to their bedroom, disappointed with herself. She'd probably just missed her best chance of telling him today just because she couldn't bring herself to disturb him. Now, someone else had disrupted him and she doubted he'd be in the mood for what she had to tell him.

Curiousity got the best of her minutes later and she was back in the hallway when she heard bits of a conversation drifting out of their spare room. A female voice. Hyuuga? No, too informal, it was another shinobi. Taking light steps, Tenten strained to hear more as she crept closer to the room and the words became little clearer.

_"...horrible_. I mean, if Oda-sensei could see it-"

"Ino."

Ino? Yamanaka had come to her house again? What, were there no other places to- Okay, maybe there _weren't_ too many other places to find Neji and talk to him, but this looked like the start of a bad habit. Did Ino come by when she wasn't around? Did Neji ever visit her at her house? Tenten's mind reeled. It wasn't that she disliked the blonde, not exactly, but just that...something about the way she acted like she had full access to Neji unsettled her. Probably because she _did_ have full access to Neji, more than she did. As a civillian, her right to know where Neji went on missions and what he did was forfeited. She never even got to know what rank the missions were or how long he'd be gone, and all the while Ino was there, fighting right beside Neji wherever they were. In a way, she almost felt _jealous_.

"Right. But really, a chicken could write better."

"Then perhaps you should use a chicken."

Tenten frowned as she pressed herself against the wall. Was that a joke? From her husband? They _joked _with one another? Neji had never done that with Team Gai. As far as she knew, he didn't have a single funny bone in his body. She could have bet a million yen that he couldn't even recognize a joke when he heard one. Apparently, she would have been wrong. When did the two of them get that chummy? She reached the open door and angled her head to peep in at this bizarre meeting. As interesting as their banter had been, Tenten found that the real point of interest wasn't in their words at all.

The difference of atmosphere in the room was almost tangible, the dynamics of the two partners so distinct and foreign from what she'd known of Team Gai. It was everywhere, in everything they did _while doing nothing at all_. How they sat so closely together, with such familiarity. How their glances at each other lingered just a note too long, as if they were holding entire conversations just in the meeting of their eyes. The way Ino had his undivided attention. Neji was a different man around her in every way, from the cadence of his voice to the tilt of his head as he spoke. Somehow, Tenten had always been more aware -painfully so- of how empty the house was when Neji was home. Ino seemed to fill in those empty gaps and spaces effortlessly.

She studied the woman who commanded his attention so fully. The crinkle of her nose when she laughed, the contented smile she gave when she answered one of Neji's questions. The ivory stick the top half of her hair was wound around, so closely resembling the ivory dagger her husband had made for her. There was nothing particularly flirtatious going on, but the casual way the two related with each other belied the business matters they discussed.

They had a world inside of a world, and Tenten was not part of it.

The two stood abruptly, the discussion finished, and drifted into the hallway. Tenten took a polite step away from the door to give them space, though they barely seemed to notice her presence until they were at the other end of the hall, heading for the door when Ino called out to her.

"Bye Tenten! Lee says 'Get well soon.'"

Neji turned a curious glance her way. Tenten didn't say a word.

* * *

A certain Nara couldn't believe he'd let Chouji guilt him into this as he stood with his face upturned, contemplating a figure in a window. What he was about to do was going to be troublesome and dramatic and most likely end in failure.

But still.

After nearly two decades of friendship, he felt obligated to at least attempt a last-ditch effort. Ino was worth that. In front him, his silhouette pulled at it's hair and Shikamaru paid it no mind, firmly planting a foot on the side of the house and sauntering up it. The room darkened noticably as he crawled through the window with practiced ease. Ino flashed him a quick smile, her focus never entirely leaving the wreath she seemed to be working on.

"A visit, finally! I was starting to think you were turning into a groundhog or something. To what do I owe the honor?"

The Shadow user leaned on the wall near the window, hands settled in his pockets as he regarded his friend's cheery attitude. He shrugged, reluctant to dampen her mood but knowing it was unavoidable.

"Chouji said I was being a coward again. I promised to be better than that, years ago. Not just on missions, but in life."

Ino paused a second, her hands hovering over the flowers unsteadily before she grasped the string to bind them to the circle of twigs and branches.

"Yeah? Well, you're a chicken - to put it mildly - that's nothing new. Me and Chouji still love you."

She said the words so freely. Just for being friends; just for _staying by her side_ she loved them. Ino gave so much of herself so easily, she always had. He could work out probability and schematics in seconds to decide whether or not a person was trustworthy - and she could as well, when doing her duty as a shinobi - but when it came to personal life, Ino went with blind trust. It was something the he both admired and found incredibly naive. His mouth itched for nicotine and fingers caressed the box the cigarettes in his pants pocket.

"Let's hear that after I say what I came to say."

Ino pursed her lips as she wrapped a ribbon around the wreath and started adding finishing touches. "What're you muttering about? You've said all kinds of stupid things and I'm still your friend."

"Because I'm usually right."

"Even if that wasn't the case. Unparalleled teamwork, remember? Friendship is the heart of cooperation. It's part of the package."

He closed his eyes, opened them, then withdrew his hands from his pockets and crossed his arms in front of his chest. Friendship. Right. He was trying to be a better friend right now, he hoped she'd realize that later. "You haven't mentioned any dates in a while."

"Haven't been on any."

"Shortage of men?"

Sarcasm reared it's ugly head. Though he rarely had the motivation to bother being snarky, the fact that Ino had dated so many high profile shinobi in the village had always left a sour taste in his mouth.

"Shortage of interest."

"In men? Or just in men that aren't _him_?"

Her hands stilled again as the implication hung in the air. Oh Kami. Had she said too much, been to specific when she'd spoken to him last? Had she slipped up and given some sign of who had captured her affections? Possibly. Maybe. She didn't know and it didn't exactly matter. This was _Shikamaru_, he was bound to put the pieces together eventually. No, not eventually, but _soon_. He was a premier strategist; all he would need was one or two clues to accurately gauge a situation to the finest detail.

Sometimes she wished she had dumb friends.

"No smoking in my room!"

He flicked the lighter off with a short sigh of frustration and the unlit cigarette tucked in the corner of his mouth drooped in disappoinment. Persuasive speech was never his forte to begin with, and now he'd have to lecture her without the calm, smokey flavor of tobacco. This was going well. Really. _Should've made Chouji do this himself._

"I knew this would be troublesome. We both know what I'm talking about. Are you really going to put yourself through this again? Giving your heart to someone who will treat it like toilet paper?"

At that she felt just the slightest bit resentful. He was here to warn her about how stupid she was being. He'd warned her about Sasuke too, way back in their academy days. What was he, her external conscience? The feeling of deja vu made her queasy. Her volume dropped and her voice strained as she replied.

"Stay out of it, Shika. You don't know him. This is different."

"Is it? Tell me, Ino, which part is different? The part where you fall for the talented guy with a tragic past? The part where you try to figure him all out and fix him, but can't? Or the part where you realize you're not important to him, not enough for him to choose you over-"

"Get out." She'd never banished him from her room before, but he'd struck a nerve. Intentionally. And whether he was trying to give her some insight or perspective or whatever, she just couldn't let that slide.

Everything stopped. Everything save for the steady thump of their hearts and the quiet stretching of lungs. He'd expected yelling and defensiveness and, well, _rage._ Not this. Not the hurt and the wisdom sitting so plainly in her eyes. She knew already what she was getting herself into, his warning had come too late to make any difference. Like a captain on a sinking ship, Ino had made her peace with where her heart had led her. Though she was the same old Ino in most aspects, maturity had changed her from the girl who'd once lived on hopes and expectations and part of him mourned the loss of her endless optimism. She was helplessly drawn to damaged people, and no amount of positivity would fix that.

"Look, I'm not here to try and stop you, I'm just here to remind you. It's not an easy path you're choosing, Ino. You won't get a fairytale ending from this. If this is your choice, I hope it's what you really want."

He started to leave, then turned to face her one more time, wearing the most serious expression Ino had seen on him since Asuma died.

"But I want you to know that you deserve better."

He was gone before the first teardrop hit the floor.

* * *

"Neji?"

She knew he was awake, not that there was much to indicate so from the view of his back. Not even his breathing pattern could give away if he was conscious or not, so strong was his level of self control, but she _knew_ in a way she supposed only a wife could know her husband. In the way she _thought_ she knew her husband. Until today.

"Yes?"

His voice answered her, level and alert and completely unsurpised that she was awoke and speaking despite getting into bed three hours ago. And though Tenten never forgot how impossible it was to catch Neji with his defense down, she wondered at his reasons for not being asleep. Was he being distant? Was he irritated she hadn't mentioned she'd been sick while he was gone? Was he thinking about his upcoming mission?

...or was he thinking about his mission _partner_? Maybe it was hormones talking, but deep in her heart something whispered that every time her husband left on a mission, less of him returned back to her. She didn't know where the rest went and she was beginning to think she didn't want to know. Surely she was being paranoid? Insecurity was a normal side effect of exposure to painfully beautiful people. Just because Ino was attractive and charming and spent more time with her husband in the past year than Tenten had in three didn't mean there was anything suspicious going on. Neji was still Neji, even if he was a different "Neji" around the Yamanaka. Even if he kept things from her.

"Nevermind."

When she looked at it that way, would it really be such a terrible thing to keep this baby a secret, just a little bit longer? Just to have something to herself?

* * *

**A / N : An update appears! Author uses Apology! Readers use Eyeroll. The narritive of this chapter feels different somehow, idk why. But all along you guys have seen how Neji and Ino see each other, so I thought I'd show you the way other people see them; the way Hanabi and Kiba see them :) Lol, friendly reminder: this fic is gonna get **_**dark**_**. If that's not your thing, you're gonna be heartbroken. And next chap should be up within 30 days if I can help it.**


	18. Chapter 18

**Ricochet**

Neji tried to make his last night home count. He knew the espionage mission he and Ino were currently assigned to was not only important, but lengthy, and the longer a mission lasted, the lower predicted survival rate because of the bigger of chances being discovered. And in the world of spies, being discovered meant being _eliminated_. Especially where he and Ino were going.

Not that he could tell Tenten any of that.

So he tried to make the night memorable, or at the very least, cozy. He helped with dinner, put away the laundry on the shelves she couldn't reach, and planned to spend some 'quality time' with his wife but things didn't quite go as expected. Tenten was acting distant, often staring off into blank space and he swore she looked a bit lackluster. Considering Ino's comment for her to Get Well Soon he figured she must have been a little sick; he knew Ino well enough to trust any clues she'd drop. He backed off, giving Tenten only a kiss on the forehead before retiring to bed.

* * *

Tenten did not feel well.

And maybe Neji sensed it, or maybe it was their anniversary because he spent the entire night focusing on her, but she simply didn't have it in her to return the attention. She felt...off. She couldn't describe it exactly, but her thoughts were hazy and she felt slightly detached from reality. She'd nearly cut herself five different times just chopping mushrooms for dinner, and though her husband said nothing she knew he'd noticed. By the time they'd finished their meal the feeling had finally passed - only to be replaced by an aggressive bout of nausea. Neji gave her some space with a parting kiss goodnight and Tenten set a tea kettle on the stove to brew. She had some of the herbal tea her grandmother gave her months ago leftover in a cabinet and prepared herself a cup. The flavor was strong and astoundingly bitter but ultimately did the trick in settling her stomach.

Tenten drew a bath for herself with fragrant, soothing bathsalts and sank into the steaming water. She laid there a few minutes, just relaxing when she felt a sharp stabbing pain in her abdomen so great she gasped for breath for several moments with her eyes tightly shut. As the pain gradually lessened, her panic subsided with the memory of Shizune telling her these random incidents of pain might occur. _It's part of the risk_, the kind medic had told her with sympathetic eyes. She'd have to learn to live with it for the next six months. Ten minutes later there was no trace of the sudden pain and Tenten dozed off in the comforting suds and the scent of patchouli. When she came to almost an hour later she drained the tub, slipped into bed with her hair in still-damp pigtails, and fell asleep.

* * *

Neji was long gone when Tenten awoke, not that she noticed beyond the symphony of pain radiating from her stomach. The razor-sharp ache was back sevenfold and Tenten instinctively curled up in the fetal position, desperately wishing it to leave and never return. Her wish went unheard. She'd have counted the minutes if she could muster enough concentration to count. Tears leaked from her eyes and she tried to at least control her breathing and steel through it. Nothing could last forever, even if it _felt_ like forever. Two hours passed before Tenten felt strong enough to move, the pain just beginning to ebb away when Tenten discovered she was bleeding.

Heavily.

If she hadn't let herself panic before, she was in full panic-mode now. It took her well over an hour to get cleaned up and nearly another hour just to walk to the hospital. There weren't words for the relief she felt once she got close enough to the hospital and the medical ninjas on break helped her indoors and fetched Shizune for her. She may have passed out at that point, for the next thing she knew Tenten was laid on an examination table and Shizune stood over her. The older woman held a cool cloth to her forehead and pressed her back down when she tried to sit up.

"Not yet. Lay back down and get some rest."

"My stomach..."

Shizune nodded, face carefully blank. "You experienced some severe pain, Kanno and Hasegawa told me you came in on the verge of collapse."

"...is it always going to hurt that bad?"

There was a heavy pause as Shizune composed herself and tried to find the kindest words. "No, it's not going to hurt anymore, Hyuuga-san. The massive pain you felt was the egg rupturing in your fallopian tube. You've had a miscarriage."

* * *

Less than half a day's travel from their destination and in need of food and rest, Ino and Neji stopped to make camp under the midday sun. Ino pulled out travel rations of dehydrated vegetables and onigiri while Neji searched for water to replenish their canteens.

When he returned Neji was silent as he ate, glaring into the distance ahead. To the north, the tainted mountains hiding Kumogakure beckoned and taunted him. He wasn't sure he was ready.

* * *

They were in. With their chicken scratch permits bearing the Lightning Country Daimyo's signature and their _henge no jutsu_ in order, the pair had no trouble gaining access to the village. They merged seamlessly into the crowd of people for a time, learning the layout, until Neji singled out a building and they broke away to investigate. A large desk sat just beyond the entrance of the administrative building doors, and behind it sat a small tanned girl barely visable around the intimidating stacks of paperwork. Noticing them enter, she sighed exaggeratedly and leaned her head on one of her hands.

"Name, rank, status."

Ino put a hand on her hip and pretended to be annoyed.

"Kannazuki, Jiro and Sumire. Jounins. Returning from surveillance in Shimogakure."

The girl grunted. "Give your mission report to Yoyogi-san in 319. If he's busy, find Amano-san or freakin' wait. For Kami's sake, don't interrupt his lunch. If I have to replace his office equipment one more time, I'm gonna scream."

"Got it."

They filtered deeper into the building, passing few people as they went up to the fifth and final floor, and took cover in a narrow hallway. Neji confirmed sixteen other chakra signatures on their floor, the closest one being just a few meters away, hidden somewhere among the countless file cabinets and bookshelves. They dropped their transformations and Ino used her Shintenshin.

* * *

Ino stirred and Neji watched as she first sat up, then stood up. With her eyes closed. Her hand ghosted over her weapons pouch before landing on her tanto and she unsheathed it in one quick swipe. Before Neji could ask what intel she'd gathered, the blonde lunged at him. He glided out of the way, alarmed, and stood in a loosely defensive stance.

"Yamanaka?"

She moved again, the action reckless and unbalanced as the weapon swung towards his neck and Neji dodged yet again, confusion painting his face. Ino's eyes remained closed. He tried again, snatching her wrist when she attacked, effectively stopping the assualt.

"Yamanaka?"

Her left hook met his cheekbone and Neji released her, evading another slice from the blade. His eyes found her face as his brain confirmed the ugly truth : Ino was not back; someone else was using her body.

He almost laughed at the situation; how could the enemy plan it more perfectly? He was stuck defending himself from the one person in this hellhole he wouldn't kill. He could sense the rapid approach of another, speeding towards them from his right, and sneered. Just this small amount of resistance was nothing, but it _was_ enough to distract him from listening for Ino and that presented a problem. He needed to eliminate whoever was pupeteering Ino's body and quickly. He dodged a blow from her tanto, eyes searching wildly as he noted the intruder was nearing striking distance. _There_! In the rafters some yards away he detected a body lying flat atop one of the metal support beams. His gaze followed the line of the beam down to where a pipe split off from it and swiftly blocked a kick meant for his throat. The pipe ended less than a foot away, right within grasp. So was the intruder. In a fraction of a second things almost seemed to slow down dramatically as his mind processed what his eyes saw. As his hand made contact with the pipe and directed a lethal flow of chakra into it, the third body managed to slip in between he and Ino's body, the taller man's back obscuring his partner completely. On reflex Neji's free hand jetted out to make contact with the man's back, just as something sharp pierced straight through the man's side and into Neji's. Three bodies hit the floor: one from the rafters, and two right in front of him as Neji slumped against the wall behind him. And then, as his mind tried to make sense of the last few seconds of battle, it registered to him that something had gone very, very wrong. He went over the facts.

He and Ino were fighting. No, he and _Ino's body_ were fighting. A Kumogakure ninja, someone who should have logically been trying to kill the both of them, had jumped between them. Why? An enemy would never come to the aid of foreign shinobi. The notion went against everything Neji knew of the shinobi world and the way it worked. He could only reason that it was _Ino_ who had tried to end the fight.

And he'd used Jyuuken on her right as her body ran her through with her own tanto.

And now both bodies lay on the floor, unmoving.

Neji couldn't breathe.

He dropped to his knees, injury forgotten, hastily checking for a pulse on his partner. He found one and exhaled shakily as some of the tension in his body melted away but relief remained out of reach. Her heartbeat was almost nonexistant, slowed to almost four beats per minute, and her body breathed so shallowly that her chest didn't seem to move. It was the same condition her body was always in when her spirit was gone, a fact that aggravated him now that he couldn't tell if she were dying or merely absent from her physical form. What if he had just screwed everything up by Jyuukening her while she was in the Kumo-nin's body, what if she never woke up? What if that one decision -just _one_ wrong decision- meant he'd never hear her voice again? Even if nobody held him to blame for it, it would surely haunt him. He stared at her unconscious form, his hand still tracking the minimal movements of her heart, and decided that all he could do now was wait.

* * *

Ino awoke with a start, gasping as if she'd been drowning and clawing at the ground underneath her for reassurance. Neji put a hand on her shoulder, and when her eyes locked on his she felt herself calming down. His eyes dropped to her mouth, betraying his impulses before a fleeting thought haulted him from acting on it. Even in the drowsiness of just waking up this did not escape Ino's attention, and she was unprepared for the wave of disappointment that overtook her. She recovered quickly, if not genuinely, masking her sentiments and deflecting attention all at once.

"Where are we?"

It was a legitimate question regardless of her motivation for asking. They were no longer in a hallway, but in a room now. Large boxes stacked against the furthest wall, shelves consuming the remaining walls full of varied objects; some identifiable, some not. A storage room. Neji showed the slightest hint of uncertainty.

"This was the only secure room I could find."

No, not uncertainty. It was pain that tinged his features, Ino realized that now as she took notice of the wet maroon stain marring Neji's white shirt. He'd been injured. _Damnit._ Ino grit her teeth, moving to sit up and finding herself perplexed at the amount of energy that small action took. Maybe it was just the surrealness of the situation, but she felt inexplicably weak. She frowned at the thought before pushing it away and covering Neji's wound with a palm. The flow of chakra she pushed into him was thinner, harder to direct than usual, causing Ino to bite her lip in irritation. Neji covered her hand with his own, his expression pensive.

"Something's wrong."

"What?"

He didn't answer, instead peeling her hand off of his stomach and turning it palm side up. The veins around his eyes enlarged as she watched him stare first at her hand, then at the room around him. His free hand moved to touch the hardwood floor they sat on. His brows knotted.

"Ganymede Timber." he all but growled, anger creeping into his voice. The Ganymede tree was of the same species as the trees chakra-absorbant paper was made from, and it was slowly draining them both. He abruptly stood, pulling her up with him. "We can't stay here."

"Well we can't leave. You're injured and I don't exactly have the chakra capacity to pose much of a threat to anyone right now. I don't even think I can _henge_." She checked her thigh as she spoke. Even her mass chakra storage point was depleted.

"Our defenses are compromised here."

"We'd be nothing but moving targets out there." she countered.

"I can fight."

"Negative. If you fight, you'll increase your bloodloss. I don't know if you noticed, but my healing jutsu? I kinda need my chakra for that, and I'm running dry at the moment."

Neji looked adamant, his gaze fixated on the door while his brain calculated, looking for an advantage to exploit. Ino huffed and sat back down, looking up at the ceiling to see if the paneling was removable and concluding that it wasn't. _Secure indeed._ She was considering pulling the objects off of the shelves to check for secret passageways -far fetched as the notion was- when Neji sat down beside her. Without a word he took her hand in his, earning a quizzical glance from Ino until she began to feel the sensation of a gently rocking tide coursing through her palm. She immediately tried to retract her hand, but he held strong.

"What are you doing? How are you supposed to Jyuuken without your chakra?"

"How do you expect to heal without yours? My chakra reserve is larger than yours, I can afford to lend you this and fight when the time comes."

Ino said no more, her concerned eyes clearly conveying her hesitance to accept his plan of action, but she no longer resisted. It was somewhat of a novelty, being on the receiving end of a chakra transfer while conscious. A complete reversal of their usual situation. Was this how he felt every time she healed his injuries? Was it always this warm? Always this...intimate and inviting? Heavens. She mourned the loss of sensation when he unjoined their hands.

With a renewed sense of synchronicity they made their run for suitable shelter, expertly evading human contact. Finding no place in the building safe enough, they successfully slipped out of the administration tower and into the heart of the village. After scoping out the area and making some mental blueprints of escape routes, Neji and Ino settled on registering at an inn for the night under assumed names. Tomorrow, they would inspect the village further and infiltrate whatever social gatherings they could.

* * *

The opulence amazed her.

Music drifted through the air in a slow, soulful melody, twisting and curving along the room until it seeped through the walls and into the night. Small orbs of light floated high, just below the ceiling, seemingly pulsating as they brightened and dimmed in harmonized patterns. The gilded walls, the lush fabrics, the elaborate table ornaments - Ino took them all in with greedy eyes, savoring the moment before ignoring them completely in favor of something far more interesting. Across the room, standing casually a few feet from the open bar was a man sipping a drink and subtley surveying the room. She made a mental catalogue of his features: the coal black eyes, the slicked back auburn hair, the almond brown complexion of his skin. He hadn't noticed her, she realized with a smile, and if she was inconspicuous enough he wouldn't until it was much too late to escape.

He tensed automatically before relaxing just as easily, fixing the leggy female standing far too close to him with a warning glance. Amethyst eyes twinkled at him mischieviously under a mess of tiny corkscrew blonde curls. She was _b__old_. His eyes cut away from her, ignoring her jilted expression and fixed stare. She stepped closer, daring, and his concentration wavered. She leaned into his chest, coils of hair tickling his neck while she wrapped her arms around his back as if greeting an old lover. Disgruntled, he reached to set down his half-empty glass, the movement restricted as he stepped sideways and she followed.

"_Loosen up, you're too stiff."_

She smiled against his chest, shameless. She turned them left and Neji followed, awkwardly letting her lead. His hands rested lightly just below her ribcage, the smooth expanse of skin under his fingertips telling him the dress was backless. Trust in Yamanaka Ino to wear the most alluring thing available for maximal effect. They'd shown up to the gala -in full henge for discretion's sake- seperately to avoid association with each other and yet _here she was_. Distracting him. Taking optimal advantage of the situation.

Associating herself with him.

At that thought, his brain sobered up from Ino's 'surprise attack'. Clearly it was time for a scolding.

_"I thought we agreed to do this individually and compare notes later. Do you realize that you're currently compromi-Are we _dancing_?"_ he asked almost rhetorically, well aware of the answer.

_"Aren't we always?"_ she shot back without missing a beat, humming in the background of her mind.

_"This isn't the time for this."_

There it was, the inevitable rejection she'd been bracing herself for. A part of her had wanted to believe he wouldn't deny her here, so far away from everything they knew. She tried again, not yet willing to let this small chance slip by. In his mind, her projected voice was light and playful.

_"Don't be a prude. The target isn't even here yet, there's no way anyone could recognize either of us, and there are _plenty_ of strangers dancing. You can spare one dance_."

He took a moment to think it over, wanting to object but finding no fault with her logic. She was right, dancing with him wouldn't add any risk to their mission. Would it really do any harm to indulge her? Acquiescing, Neji held Ino a little more comfortably, molding her body against his.

_"Just one."_

_"That's all I'm asking for."_

The tempo changed and she surrendered the lead, her tawny skin luminous in the soft glow of the light as he spun them around. They drifted into the crowd, free in the anonymity among the other dancing couples, the world around them a mere blur of colors and distortion of sounds. For an hour it was just the two of them in another place, another life. No Konoha, no mission, no clans. And then the man they'd been waiting for arrived and even with his eyes closed and even with Ino in his arms, Neji could not ignore the pull of duty.

_"The target is here."_

_"I know."_ She sighed and pressed further into him like a stubborn child being told to go to bed, but the song wound down and the two came to a stop, sharing a brief glance before letting releasing each other.

"Thanks for the dance, mister." she smirked at him as she backed away, eyes bright with satisfaction, and blended into the crowd without waiting for a reply.

Split up they worked opposite sides of the room, laying on the charm with each person they encountered and drawing out information. The targeted person was carefully kept between the both of of them for easy tracking, but inevitably their eyes drew one another from across the room. Hours passed this way, with lasting glances across a full room, looks full of messages they could never relay verbally but understood in a way that was far more..._primal._ And tons more agitating with the persistence of memory. There were times Neji swore that he could still taste the flavor of her skin on his lips, taunting him. Moments when Ino could still sense the feel of his hands gliding across her skin.

The night crawled by as if not wanting to end. The two of them weren't sure they wanted it to.

* * *

_The acrid stench of burning human flesh permeated the smoke-filled air and Ino tried not to taste the ash as she gasped for more air, sprinting wildly ahead with no heed to the events at her flanks. None of it mattered - maybe later it would. Later, when she had safely escaped and could afford to cry and tremble and _grieve,_ but not now - and the whole of her world consisted only of what lie ahead and lay behind her. _Run, run, run. Faster. _She would run until her feet bled and then some as long as she made it out of here. She pushed harder, the muscles in her thighs burning hotter than coals, feet sinking into Neji's footsteps almost before his own lifted away. She nearly broke her nose slamming into his back when he stopped suddenly, face turned and Byakugan in full effect as he stared at something she couldn't see through the black haze. Raising an arm, he pointed in the direction his eyes watched._

_"Aren't you going to help your friend?"_

_Ino stared, trying her best to make out what she could, and gradually she spied a group of bodies fighting. No, a group of bodies surrounding one body, fighting. One huge body...disproprtionately lage fists...a mass of hair like a lion's mane_...Chouji.

_Her feet moved of their accord, stepping on bodies and blood-slicked grass and whatever else happened to be in the way. A chain swung through the air in a short arc above Chouji's shoulder to his lower ribcage. Three more chains followed and she could hear Chouji grunting against the strain of them, struggling as another attacker positioned his hands in front of his face Ino recognized as a precursor to fire-based techniques. Her own hands flew through the seals to the Shinranshin, holding at the final handsign, her heart growing heavier with devastation as she realized_ it wasn't working. _Of course not. Now that she was closer, she could tell his attackers weren't shinobi, but summoned creatures the size of humans. She'd need help saving Chouji. Ino whirled around, squinting to see her partner and horrified when she spotted him. There was a small army encircling him, easily five times the amount on Chouji, and Ino was torn between aiding him or rescuing Chouji. Thinking fast, she turned back to save her childhood friend. He was closer, and if she could just get things under control with him, he could help her backup Neji. As she cut down the first of the summons, the sound of thunder booming shook the ground, the white-hot flash of lightning blinding her temporarily. She called to Chouji, trying to blink away the distortion, and felt for his chakra when she failed to hear a response._

_Chouji was okay. Or alive, at least. She could feel him still fighting somewhere near her._

_She called to Neji. Nothing. She called again, turning and searching as her eyes readjusted. Nothing. It took her half a minute to identify the giant scorchmark on the ground some meters off as the place where she'd seen him last._

Ino sat straight up, heart racing and eyes wide as she caught her breath. Instinctively her sensory abilities activated, checking for the low resonance of brain waves nearby, feeling for _his_ brain activity. She found him immediately, no more than a foot away from her, the rise and fall of his chest telling her he was fine and _not_ burnt to a crisp on a battlefield somewhere. Her adrenaline rush receded, the flush of pink remaining on her cheeks while her heart worked to control itself. Beside her, Neji's eyes slipped open.

"What is it?"

She shook her head, the haunted look on her face subsiding before she gracefully laid back down. When ten minutes passed and she still laid awake recovering from the nightmare, Ino was surprised to feel Neji's arm curling around her waist and pulling her back to his chest. She froze, unsure of quite what to do with the close proximity.

"Sleep." he mumbled from behind her ear.

Little by little she relaxed, the feel of his breath fanning on the back of her neck calming her unexpectedly. And she slept.

* * *

Six days. They'd been in this wretched country for six days now and Neji's tolerance was running empty. Day after day, hour after hour surrounded on all sides by the vile people he despised the most. He didn't care about their politics, looks, or culture. All he cared about was the fact that if not for these (and he used the term lightly) _people_, his father would still be alive. It had taken him years to recognize it, placing blame on everyone but Kumogakure. He'd blamed his clan for their idiotic and self-serving traditions. He'd blamed Hinata for being a defenseless little girl because Hyuuga women were supposed to be as indomitable as they were graceful. He'd even blamed the Sandaime Hokage for not reaching a better negotiation with the Raikage, but all roads eventually lead back to Kumogakure. It was their abduction of Hinata that lead to Hizashi's death. Their lust for the power of the Byakugan that took the most important person in the world from him. Their fault. And though he was not ignorant to the knowledge that his was not the only clan they'd made an attempt on, though he vaguely _understood_ why they would want to do such a thing, that didn't mean he forgave them for it. Nobody could bear a grudge like a Hyuuga, and Hyuuga Neji had a vendetta.

Ino gaze hovered over her partner's white-knuckle fists as he stood at their tiny hotel room's window, peering out at the villagers milling around below. Though his killing intent was carefully kept in check, his body language screamed rage and the blonde found she could not take her eyes off of him; fearful that he might vanish into the darkness and find the fight he was so strongly craving. He was going to think himself into a heart attack if he didn't relax and let go of that pent up aggression.

"Sorry for accepting this mission, I know this must be hard for you."

Her voice cut through the silence like a megaphone despite speaking no louder than usual, and Ino cringed a little. Neji continued to stare out of the window, still as a statue. Hard? Hard didn't even begin to describe it. This wasn't a place he'd ever wanted to set foot in, didn't want to come within ten miles of. He'd thought he could handle it when Ino showed up at his home with the mission scroll, that it might even be therapeutic and exorcise the last of his resentment, but he'd been wrong. With each passing day it grew harder just to maintain his outward neutrality. When he spoke his voice was hushed and full of jagged edges.

"I don't belong here."

And he meant it. He almost felt sacrilegious, living and breathing in a place that hunted Hyuugas like animals. Allowing such people to soundly sleep in their beds at night and wake up safe and happy in the morning.

Ino moved to perch on the edge of the bed behind him and tried to find some words of comfort, but what came out was

"I killed a monk once."  
His face turned toward her ever so slightly, not understanding why she mentioned such a thing now. Encouraged by this, Ino continued.  
"Accidentally. I had just made chuunin, Chouji and Shikamaru were hanging back and I was going in to create a diversion. These Wave ninja -two of them- jumped me. The monk was just passing by, going up the road to his temple near town, and I pitched a shuriken into his neck. I still can't look at prayer beads without remembering him. I haven't set foot in a temple since then."

She looked at him, flashes of shame and regret in her eyes, and Neji appreciated the distraction. Turning more fully to her, he reclined against the wall - still rigid, but less murderous than before. Ino watched as he crossed his arms and shifted his gaze off of her when he replied.

"When I was small, before I was branded, I knew I would spend my life protecting Hinata-sama. I'd never met someone who tried so hard to make others happy; she never complained and always tried her best. My mother passed away when I was two - I have no memories of her, but I've always thought she might have been something like Hinata-sama."

Ino was touched by the admission, not expecting him to share something so deeply personal. She decided to keep the openness of the moment going. A light smile graced her lips.

"It took me forever to perfect my chakra control for the water-walking skill. Sakura mastered it so quickly, for days I was dying of jealousy! But I'm one hell of a better swimmer than her because of that." She paused, thinking. "Have you ever let Lee win in a fight?"

It was his turn for a small, pleased smile to work it's way across his lips. "Never."

The conversation lulled into silence and Ino muffled a yawn with one hand as she rose to her feet.  
"Promise me you won't go on a killing spree while I sleep."  
At that, Neji looked dubious and Ino smiled for him softly as she stood by the lightswitch beside the bathroom door.  
"I'll understand if you do. I'd want revenge if my...I get it, okay? But don't go massacring folks without me, that kind of thing goes along a lot smoother when you've got someone to watch your back."

The corners of his mouth tipped upward in a way that Ino decided that counted as a smile before it slipped away.  
"That's not in mission parameters. There would be consequences; consequences not worth facing under the guise of 'teamwork'."

Even if he _had_ seriously entertained the thought of retribution once or twice, he'd never accounted for her backup in actuality. He could never expect that of her, never ask that of her. Could never risk her being punished for his own personal agenda. Even more so if she did it out of a misplaced sense of _duty_.

Ino looked solemn. "You think this is still about teamwork?"  
She sighed, exasperation creeping into her voice. Growing more and more disillusioned with their starcrossed fate with every second.  
"I'll be in the shower."

"Wait."

Her hand turned the doorknob and pried it open, only for it to be slammed shut nanoseconds later.

"Wait."

She wanted to be surprised at the sight of his palm flat against the door, she really did, but nothing surprised her anymore. She turned around with a guarded expression, her back against the door as she looked into the face of her commanding officer.

"What do you want from me?"

It wasn't something he thought of often, what he wanted, but around her it was all he could think about. In her eyes he saw possibilities, saw security, saw _hope_. He saw so many things, things he suddenly realized he couldn't do without. His father had lead a life of devotion and purpose, but more often than not that purpose seemed to be denial. He was never free to shape the outline of his life, the clan elders and his own brother always making the decisions for him. His first real choice for himself had been to die for his brother, but surely one moment of control did not compensate for a lifetime of servitude. From what Hizashi had written, he had died in peace, but Neji strongly doubted the man had died happy. When he honestly thought about it, that was the one thing he wanted more than anything: to die in satisfaction.

There were no guarantees being a shinobi. He could die any mission, any day, with no warning and a laundry list of regrets. And it would be the biggest lie in the world to say he was happy with his life right now.

_Everything._

The single thought was so clear, so absolute that Ino heard it without effort and was speechless. They'd reached the equivalent of a stalemate with neither of them able to move beyond their feelings and neither one of them content with things the way they were. No ground gained, none lost.

...Then, didn't they have nothing to lose?

Their lips brushed against each other, tentatively at first before giving way to the fervor that had been steadily building for longer than either of them cared to admit. Less of a war of tongues, more of a dance -a salsa- everything moving in heated harmony and hitting every mark with perfect choreography. Ino listened for the voice in her head to say _stop! Hey, bimbo, don't do this!_ but her brain was blissfully silent and she doubted her lips would cooperate with commands to stop anyway. She didn't care about the million and one reasons that they should not be doing this; for once, she allowed herself to enjoy the perfection of the moment. Her hand rose to cradle his cheek just as she felt Neji's hands settling at the small of her waist.

It was only a minute later when she was on her tiptoes, wantonly trying to get more as his thumbs rubbed slow, sensual circles around the peaks of her hipbones. She repositioned her hands, finding a decent grip on his shoulders. Though she thought her enthusiastic fingers might have been digging in a bit too violently, he seemed to like it - if the way _his_ hands had repositioned themselves to cup her butt were any indication, he did. He lifted her up, pinning her against the door and alleviating them of the odd angles their height difference had made their necks crane. Ino made a sound of approval and locked her legs around him.

The feeling of Ino's lips on his and Ino's fingers clawing his collar and Ino's legs wrapped around him was far more than Neji had anticipated. Everything was magnified, multiplied, enhanced just by the pure freedom of the moment. It had been forever since...no, it hadn't. It hadn't been forever since he'd had this feeling because he was near certain he'd never felt like _this_ before. An emotion this extreme - a combination of this many strong sensations - was something a person didn't simply forget. Ever.

His mouth was at the crook of her neck, hands sliding up her thighs and bunching her skirt when he paused to catch her gaze, and though he said nothing Ino understood him clear as day: This was it, this was all he could offer, and there would never be more than this. Except this alone would never be enough, not really. Words they could only express through touch. Nights they could only spend together in the lands of strangers. A life they could only live when outside of Konoha. It would never fully sate what she wanted from him.

...but if this was all that he could give, she would accept it.

She captured his lips with her own and they went tumbling down to the carpet.

* * *

After that night, the floodgates had been wrenched open and all manner of resistance had been abandoned. To be young and head-over-heels in love was an exhilirating thing, and as the strain of being apart in Konoha began to build, they started to live for their mission assignments. Living for the days when they didn't have to _pretend_. Their days continued to stretch onward bathed in the blood of duty, but their nights burned bright with desire, spreading and consuming like wildfire until being doused by the morning light. Neji allowed Ino to sleep on his chest at night and in return she allowed him to possessively curl his arm around her waist when men gawked at her, dominance blazing in his pale eyes.

The threat of exposure loomed, ever-present and never forgotten. And though their denial had died and long tortured death, neither of them completely accepted their forbidden relationship. Every time their control slipped and every time they touched in places mere _partners_ shouldn't be touching, the both of them wondered in the backs of their minds just how long it would last.

They spoke of many, many things in their quiet moments together: of childhood memories, old victories, and bitter regrets. All things of the past. They never spoke of love or the future, for they knew a future of them together would never come to pass. One day their relationship would have to come to a close.

Until then, they had each other.

* * *

**A/N : Suddenly I feel like this chapter could have been a thousand times better but I'm too full of fail to improve it. I apologize to those of you who thought this would all be resolved in a wholesome, honorable manner but kind of the whole point I've been making all along is that yes, they're ninjas but they're also terribly **_**human**_** and people don't always do what is necessarily the "right thing". **_**Especially**_** when emotions are involved. This isn't the last chapter, btw. There's at least 3 more. New fanart linked on my profile, check it out!**


	19. Chapter 19

**Ricochet**

Though their pillow talk is plentiful, it's not until the sixth time they wake tangled in each other that they speak of what they've done. Ino's eyes trace a half-healed gash on Neji's hip leftover from a battle the day before and she cringes when she thinks of how rough they were with each other last night.

"Did I hurt you?"

His hands are gently smothing her hair out of her face when he truthfully answers "No.".

It's as close to talking about it as they dare get. They make the rules as they go along, learning each other all over again.

It takes Neji little time to discover why it is that Ino never demands anything of him. Unlike his family, his old team, or even his wife, Ino is simply not the kind to _receive_. She asks nothing because she needs nothing, she is happy enough just to _give_. Friendship, respect, gratitude - anything gained in the process of giving is just a bonus to her. It astounds him, at times, how compassionate she can be. He has seen with his own eyes how she purposefully over-pays when they eat at struggling restaurants and how she takes the time, when she has it, to bury the corpses of her enemies. Like a veil has been lifted from his eyes, he all at once sees why its is that so many people sing her praises and he doesn't know what to do with that knowledge except hold on tightly to her because he knows he won't find this again.

Ino is no better. While she could easily compile a long list of the things she likes about herself, Ino knows that she isn't special. Not 'genius' special like Shikamaru and Neji, and not 'beloved' special like Asuka-chan. She is a cosmos flower, definitely, but cosmos grow in many places and she is sure there are others like her. She isn't unique enough to be treasured above other, rarer types and she knows this is one of her faults. She is used to the people she loves - Sasuke, Sakura, Asuma - leaving her in one way or another and she has learned over time that there is nothing she can do to make them stay. To her they are _all_ special; to them she is reduced to _once upon a time_ and _used to be_. But somehow Neji sees her differently, and she holds him tight at night because she knows they'll only have so many sunrises before the tides change and the tables turn. She can only hope it'll be a clean break when their time is up.

* * *

Ino felt like a mole burrowing further and further as she and Neji ran into the pitch blackness of a system of tunnels, silent as ghosts. Though she was typically comfortable invading villages under the cover of darkness, there was something disquieting about doing so _underground_ with no moonlight to guide her; her partner's telepathic commands directing her down the path. In more ways than one they were going in blind. They had no blueprint; there hadn't been any rodents around for Ino to Shintenshin. The mission scroll had provided only the name of their assassination target, giving them no clues on the person's physical appearance or their exact whereabouts. Worst of all, with the lack of those important details, they couldn't form a stable plan. She and Neji would have to improvise as they went along.

Considering that they were currently in the subterranean portion of Iwagakure and _surrounded in every direction by rocks and dirt_, that did not sit well with Ino. Should their one and only chance fail, these tunnels would become their tomb.

Their footsteps stalled, both sensing the presence of other people nearby. A group of nine; shinobi as far as Ino could tell from their chakra patterns. Hoping she was wrong, she checked with the chakra master beside her.

_Please don't tell me those are Iwagakure shinobi heading our way._

_Their chakra levels far exceed that of civillians'._

Ino bit back a curse. At the rate the shinobi were approaching them, a fight was inevitable. They didn't know the layout well enough to find a hiding spot and fighting in the dark was not Ino's strong suit. Neji would be fine, _sure_, with his chakra vision he wouldn't miss much. But Ino? Screwed. So completely screwed. And her pride refused to let Neji do all of the work. She thought fast, thinking back on all the other times her opponent had the upper hand on her and trying to remember how she'd turned the tables on them - how she'd made their advantages _her_ advantages. She couldn't say she'd won all of those battles by sheer skill alone as certainly some degree of luck was involved, but one particular instance of cleverness stuck out in her memory. In her practice with Tenten, when Ino could not match the skill of the brunette kunoichi, she'd simply read her movements and predicted her strategies. And while reading her opponents' body language was out of the question right now, Ino was confident she didn't need her eyes to read their _minds_. She'd just listen to their thoughts to help her evade their strikes until she could launch her own attack.

It wasn't an award-winning plan, which she could clearly imagine Shikamaru telling her. There were too many variables unaccounted for. Sure, Ino had used her telepathy during fights before to communicate with her teammates, but she couldn't say she'd ever tried listening to the thoughts of several shinobi at once and tried to fight at the same time. The amount of concentration she'd need to pull it off was daunting, nevermind the migraine that was sure to follow.

_Fall back, I can handle this many._ Neji's voice whispered in her mind. Ino frowned.

_No, you don't know any more about these guys than I do. They could be Iwagakure Hunter Nins for all we know._

_You intend to fight blind? Are you sure that's wise?_

_No, but I'm prepared to. Can't let you do it all by yourself._

The shinobi drew closer and Ino palmed her kunai and steadied her breathing. Beside her she knew Neji was settling into his offensive stance.

_The minute you feel overwhelmed, tell me._ He said, all traces of his that-is-an-order tone absent from the words and Ino smiled.

No matter what the unpredictable variables were there was always one variable she could count on: Neji.

* * *

Tenten watched the youngest Hyuuga children outside mimicing their older cousins with poor coordination as they flailed and grappled and sent each other tumbling into the grass. They were barely of age to the enter the academy, but Tenten noticed one of them sported the telltale Caged Bird Seal on their forehead uncovered. She seemed proud of it, even.

_"I know that my expectations are no small hurdle, dear, but you do need to consider those of your husband. When do you plan on giving Neji a son?" _

Tenten cringed at the memory of her grandmother's words. She hadn't known the sex of the child, it had been too early to tell, but now the gears in her head turned. She had failed in her duties as a wife by losing their child, but would she have still failed if the child she bore Neji had been a daughter?

_"Who better to produce the next Hyuuga heir than the clan prodigy and his wife?"_

Would she have still failed had the child been born ordinary? Or worse, if the child had been below standard and flunked out of the academy?

_"You have been married for two years now. If you do not conceive soon, they might start to suspect you as barren. You underestimate the political importance of having a child in a clan. To be childless is a hinderance, it undermines one's position and influence. A man with many children holds more sway than a man with talent and no offspring, for how can the clan continue without children?"_

She shook away the memory with a shake of her head, unconsciously sweeping her bangs away from her face. The means of her failure didn't matter, she had still failed. Now was not the time to wallow in misery; she needed to do something about it before it affected her husband. She stood up.

The halls were quiet as usual save for muffled sound of floors being scrubbed, the clink of metal as weapons were cleaned, and the hushed voices of women in the kitchen as lunch was being prepared. Tenten made a right turn down a larger hallway, a few members of the main house nodding at her as she passed, their surprise at seeing her in this wing of the compound kept carefully concealed. The further she walked, the more the modern decor gave way to a more antiquated look as she entered the oldest portion of the compound. Even the color scheme of beige, brown and white furnishings that spanned the majority of the compound had faded away in favor of black lacquer, golden gilding, and white marble.

Tenten haulted in front of an old sliding door with faded depictions of migrating birds and sank to her knees. She rapped lightly on the door and, when prompted, identified herself. The voice behind it bade her to enter and Tenten did, carefully sliding the door shut behind her.

"What brings you here, Tenten?"

She gave a customary kowtow Hiashi acknowledged with a nod.

"Uncle, I have come to discuss my husband's future in the clan."

The clan patriarch's face remained impassive. "Proceed."

"Sir, I have full confidence that Hinata-sama and Hanabi-sama know all they must about ruling the main house, however Neji has been focusing on his career as a shinobi for a long while now. I think he's proven himself more than capable in battle. Perhaps now is the time he should focus more on the clan and learn how his father headed the branch house?"

Tenten kept a calm countenance knowing the elder was watching her closely, but inside she trembled at her own boldness. To make suggestions about where Hiashi should put his attentions when she knew her opinion was worth less than nothing was going out on a very long, very narrow limb. Hiashi looked nothing short of imposing as he sat crosslegged before her, a wrist on each knee and his back as straight as a board. _Now is the time_, she reminded herself. _The sooner Neji's position is secure, the better._

"I have had such thoughts. I spoke with Neji some months ago with such intentions and it seems that my nephew has a penchant for exceeding expectations."

Hiashi offered a ghost of a smile and Tenten felt herself unwind just a little.

"Like my brother, Neji has always been an astute learner. He observes well and can figure out most things for himself. As with his training in the past, I found that Neji already contains the knowledge of what leading the branch house entails. At most, all he may need from me is some refinement."

"I see, Hiashi-sama."

"How pragmatic of you to worry over your husband's future. My nephew made a wise choice in taking you for his bride."

"Thank you, Hiashi-sama." Tenten bowed again, unsure of whether to be relieved her husband's social standing was safe or disappointed that once again she could do nothing for him. "I'll take my leave now."

Tenten turned and slid open the door. Hiashi watched her.

"I do agree that he should focus on the clan more. I would very much like a great-nephew someday."

Tenten winced.

* * *

She breathed in deeply. The air smelled thickly of brine, the gentle breeze almost scratchy with flecks of sand as it blew across Ino's skin. In the near distance she could hear the ocean lapping at the shore and birds chirping. Moon Country was no Konoha, it's dry heat and salt no competition for Konoha's oak and pine scent, but it was pleasent and lovely in it's own way. After all, Moon Country did have flowers and that automatically made it cool in her opinion. Buds of Jasmine were scattered throughout the terrain and though they were tightly closed now, Ino knew they would bloom in their full splendor come nightfall. The scarce vegetation provided her little shade but the few trees the island sported were admirable. Slender Dogwood trees ripe with white blossoms home to nectar-loving birds and greedy bumblebees.

On the other side of the island was higher ground and cliffs and towards the south lay Getsugakure and her mission. _Their_ mission.

Somewhere on the island was a squad of Konoha chuunins well overdue to report home. At best they would find them, free them, and hatch an escape plan. At worst they would find bodies.

But first they would need rest. The sun was sinking from the sky quick as a ship with a hole in it's hull and two tired shinobi fumbling around in the night didn't make for much of a rescue team. Moon Country hadn't exactly been easy to access, miles and miles of running across the oceans waves had cost them a substantial amount of energy. It still irritated Ino that it's citizens lacked so much as a mere fishing boat or ferry for them to stowaway in. Time was a fleeting commodity, irreplaceable in value, but for now their comrades would have to hold on. Tonight they would secure a stronghold and come the first rays of morning light their search would begin.

Ino trekked closer to the beachside, spying a structure that looked vaguely like a cottage on stilts. It was worse for wear, the color of the woodgrain varying in so many places that Ino could tell it was old, but it was shelter and high ground and that was good enough for the night. Not trusting the dry rot-looking stairs Ino leapt onto the banister of the balcony and eased down on the wooden planks. The lock on the door was rusted shut and with a swift kick she let herself in.

The Yamanaka heiress took a thorough tour of the cottage, checking every nook and cranny for any sign of a trap. When she was satisfied the place was safe, Ino did some minor cleaning. The idea of sleeping nestled in thick cobwebs and an inch of dust held zero appeal to her. The belongings in the cottage told stories about the people it'd belonged to and Ino found herself mildly curious as to what had happened to them. When she finished she stood on the balcony admiring the how humongous the moon looked and watched as the tide smashed more violently against the sand. The wind, perfumed with the scent of Jasmine, whipped her ponytail playfully and Ino sensed a familiar presence approaching. She didn't bat an eye at the muted sound of sandals on wood.

"I think this might be my favorite place outside of Konoha." she said in a hushed tone, almost as if thinking out loud.

"Hn." He watched her stare out at the water, the look on her face something he couldn't quite identify. His hand circled around her wrist and tugged lightly. "Come, it's late."

* * *

The dawning sun snuck up on the pair, finding them curled into one another on the cottage floor. And though the old blanket beneath them was lumpy and threadbare, Ino could not imagine being more comfortable. With the sunlight warming the side of her face and Neji warming the rest of her, a civil war could have been raging outside of their cabin and she would not move an inch. Aside from the slight tickle near her elbow, which she assumed was due to either Neji's hair or her own, she was perfectly content to spend the rest of the mission like this. Well, that and the slight itch between her shoulder blades. And the sensation of something moving across her neck...

Ino's body jerked as she awoke fully to the realization that something was crawling on her. Several somethings. Unceremoniously breaking Neji's sleep, Ino disentangled herself from him and scrambled to her feet. The look of horror plastered on her face bade Neji to look around as well. It took everything in Ino not to scream at the sight of an army of insects crawling around, covering every single surface in the cabin.

"They're everywhere! I - I..!"

She didn't have the words. How? Why? But more importantly, _how_? She'd tediously checked every decrepit little nook and cranny for bugs herself!

Neji, being the more level headed one at the time, picked a beetle up from the blanket to inspect. Activating his Byakugan, he made a crucial discovery.

"These are from the Aburame clan."

* * *

After a minor meltdown, terrifying thoughts of _how can I ever drink from my canteen again when those THINGS have been on it_ and a discussion with her partner, the two of them agreed to split up in order to cover more ground. Neji would check Getsugakure village itself, using his kekkei genkai to see if the trio was being held hostage anywhere. Ino would use her clan abilities to look for clues on the rest of the island.

And so it was that Yamanaka Ino stood at the bank of the ocean, braiding her hair into one long plait to prevent the tangles that came whenever water was concerned. She'd scouted the island already with the help of several colorful little birds but hadn't found anything. The same was true with the island lizards, and since she'd found nothing on _land_, it was time to check things offshore. Ino stripped off her outer layers, leaving herself clad in her mesh shorts and chest wraps and waded into the water. When the rolling water was up to her ribs, she plunged beneath the surface.

She spent the next hour diving and resurfacing, meticulously inspecting the shoreline for any anomalies that might signal genjutsu or traps the missing team might be ensnared in. She found nothing.

Ino emerged from the water refreshed, but sopping wet nonetheless. Fingers pruned and eyes still burning for the saltwater, she found she'd drifted further downshore than her original starting point. In front of her lay the imposing sight of the cliffs. Her clothes were several hundred feet upshore. Groaning, Ino started her march towards her things, her path veering out of the wet sand and closer to the cliffs where it was drier. Her senses prickled and she paused, unsure if she'd just felt something or not. Concentrating her skills and reaching out again, she searched for the sensation of human brain activity nearby. Honing in, she pinpointed it to be coming from the cliffs.

_A secret stronghold?_

Her feet padded across the sand to bring her at the base of the cliffs. The rocks were large and sharp, but just standing closer to them she could feel her sensory perceptions sharpen. Humans were definitely here, though much higher up from the base than Ino would have liked. Stepping back again to guage the distance, Ino estimated it would take her around fifteen minutes to scale it. The uneven surface would cost her more chakra than if she were to walk up a flat surface. Although if she did it the old fashioned way...

_Kunai. If I embed some kunai into the cliffside, I can use them for footholds and hand grips._

Pleased with her solution, Ino reached for her kunai pouch -

and remembered it was with her clothing. Casting a look at the purple pile of her things in the distance, Ino sighed.

_First things first._

The sea salt had dried on her skin by the time she reached her clothes. Her hair too had dried out and was stiff with salt, a fact Ino ignored for the time being as she slipped on her garments and re-eqipped herself. Sauntering back over to the cliffs, Ino wrapped her hands in bandages and threw twelve kunai into the steep rocks. Seventeen minutes of climbing later, she reached the small opening of a cave. She rested a few moments before easing in, her body low to the ground and close to the cave wall to use the shadows to her advantage.

Ino soon found cover behind the irregular lump formations of rock and did a quick head count. One, two, three...only six? Insulting. What, did they honestly _not_ think Konoha would send a backup squad? Or did they really think so little of what foreign shinobi could do? Either way it didn't matter much, their fate was sealed the moment she'd located them and being that they were holding _her_ _people_ captive, she would not show them mercy. Ino plucked some shuriken from her pouch and readjusted her position. Taking aim, she launched one into the base of one shinobi's spine and another towards another's juggular vein. The first connected but the second was deflected almost instantly and Ino sensed the exact moment the remaining four became collectively aware of her presence. They moved stealthily, trying to pinpoint her location and Ino knew they soon would. She waited for one to step within her range, and as soon as he did, she stole possesion of his body. From there Ino cut down two more of them easily - at the expense of the reamining pair's trust. Former comraderie gone, the last of the guards put up a valiant fight to eliminate her, working in tandem so as not to give her a second's reprieve.

Ino, of course, had expected this.

Having no reguard for the condition of her borrowed body, she dodged only the most fatal attacks they made and bore the brunt of the less serious hits in exchange for landing blows on the duo. To her annoyance, none of her own attacks had struck true either, but then again even though the body she was using had the muscle memory to wield the hook swords currently in her borrowed palms, she hadn't had enough time to sieve through the brain's memories to learn their proper use.

Her focus shifted. The last three hits she fended off came from the shinobi on her right, and though Ino hadn't had a chance to look in the opposite direction, she knew it meant that the second ninja was preparing something. Thinking quick, she wagered that the female was looking for her body. Ino disconnected from her host body, regaining consciousness in her own skin just soon enough to roll out of the way of the kunoichi's clawed brace-laden fist. She stood, still twisting out the way of a secondary strike when she caught a glimpse of her formerly borrowed body hitting the ground and the other nin charging towards her. Ino dipped low, jamming a kunai into her opponent's kneecap with an audiable crack. The Getsugakure-nin crumpled to the ground howling in pain. Shamed and unready to admit defeat, the blonde saw her pull a wad of explosive tags from her pocket. Ino grit her teeth and cast her jutsu. She caught her own body from behind, slight regret for what she was about to do overcoming her as she peered down at herself and knew she'd have one hell of a headache when she returned to her body. With little hesitation she turned her body around, grabbed herself by the waist, and heaved herself a good distance away as the explosive tags detonated. Waking in her body again, Ino found she'd been right; she had a nice little lump forming on the edge of her forehead and an impending concussion if she didn't fix that soon. Picking herself up, Ino braced her upper body against the wall of the cave and lifted her palm to her head. Glancing around as she healed herself, Ino breathed a sigh of relief when she saw that the explosion wasn't quite enough to collapse the exit.

Five minutes later she stumbled across the trio of Konoha shinobi shackled to the wall, their chins lifting upward at the sound of her intentionally heavy footsteps. Recognition sparked across two of their faces.

"Ino!" the mustached one exclaimed in disbelief as Ino mentallly identified him as Adachi Juntaro, chuunin of eight years and ex-academy teacher.

"Yamanaka-taichou!" the one with the semi-mohawk cried out, who Ino vaguely recalled as being one of the members of the first team she'd ever headed. Tamaki Kouta.

The third Konoha-nin her eyes landed on sported goggles and a high-collared jacket and Ino made a guess he was the Aburame as she picked loose the heavy metal that restrained them.

"I knew Hokage-sama would send someone!" Juntaro stated as he rubbed at his raw wrists and slumped down to the floor to rest his legs. "But I was starting to think we wouldn't make it to see rescue."

"I'm glad she sent Yamanaka-taichou." Kouta chimed in, grunting as he tried to stretch his sore limbs out.

As she released the last of the chains on the Aburame, Ino noticed he wasn't in as poor shape as the other two. Curious, she pulled down his collar to place a hand on his neck, intending to run basic medical diagnostics, but at the emergence of several beetles from his ear Ino reeled back in disgust. Quickly fixing her expression so as not to offend him, Ino apologized for her reaction with a small bow.

"Sorry. You surprised me a little."

The Aburame - 'Shiniichi', as was written on the collar of his jacket - nodded. He was used to such reactions. He probably should have told her that his healing insects tended to come out whenever foreign chakra entered his system. They also tended to analyze the invading chakra.

"Your name...is Ino?" his voice, hoarse from dissuse, reached Ino's ears.

She nodded and gave a friendly smile. "Yup! Nice to meet you, Aburame-san."

He bowed in response, his mind trying to make sense of the situation as she walked back over to his teammates. In the background he heard the blonde making conversation, but in his body he had a conversation of his own going on. His teammates had confirmed Ino as being from the Yamanaka clan, but his beetles whispered to him _She is Hyuuga Neji's mate_. And while he only knew any of the Hyuugas in passing, as far as he had known...wasn't Hyuuga Neji's mate named Tenten?

* * *

Inoichi is something of a legend in his own right. There are rumors, compliments of Chouza and Shikaku, that he can completely overhaul a person's personality in under a minute and implant false memories in a heartbeat. Some even speak of a missions where he used the Shinranshin on an entire village or where he recovered vital information from the rapidly decaying brains of fresh corpses. But again, all of these tales are known purely as speculation. Just splashes of color on an already masterfully crafted reputation.

Only Ino, Shikaku, and Chouza know them to be true.

It is unsurprising to her then when she and Neji return from a mission one day and hear that Morino Ibiki has died in battle and that Yamanaka Inoichi is now head of Konoha's Torture and Investigation department. The information is given to her several times by several different people by the time Ino gets to the village center, and each person tells her so with something of a congratulatory look in their eyes. Ino knows all of them by name, most of them she's met in the T & I building at some point, but some of them are even older than her father and Ino knows it's an honor just to hear them speak to her. It is the last person, Yamashiro Aoba as luck would have it, who tells her that her father wants to see her. Now.

He was waiting for her in Ibiki's office when she arrived.

"Yes, Dad?"

She called from the doorway because it is well known that one does not simply waltz into Morino Ibiki's office. She had a hard time reconciling that it would be her father's office from now on. He waved her in and she obliged, coming to stand within inches of the desk. Inoichi stared at her for one long moment, then spoke.

"You're a damn good kunoichi. More than that, you're a damn good shinobi. Better than I was at your age."

He grinned at her, crow's feet at the corners of his eyes intensifying, and Ino felt a surge of pride. His next choice of words knocked that pride right out of her.

"But you're holding back, aren't you?"

Pressing her lips firmly closed, she avoided his eyes and gave a shallow nod.

"You can't do that forever, Ino. The world's changed since the days when my generation reigned, this position isn't meant for me. As much as I hate to admit it, I'm becoming an old man. And look around, who's the next qualified person to head this department? You are. You have the skills, you have the mind for it, and the men respect you. You have a responsibility to be the leader that these men need or else someone less qualified will take the job and there will be deaths that could have been avoided. Do you understand?"

She did. This was her wakeup call. She's been coasting; allowing her skills to plateau at jounin level instead of striving to be something more, striving to be all she was meant for. It was time she came to terms with the fact that she'd held back for so long out of fear. Being responsible for a team is one thing, but ruling a clan and running a department were much bigger roles to fill. Yamanaka Ino is not afraid to lead, she's afraid to _fail_. Failure equals death and she can't fail if she doesn't try. It's not the death, the _dying_ part that bothers her. She's died a thousand deaths - in other people's bodies, mostly - and dealing death is as normal to her as breathing. It's the seperation, the parting with loved ones that kills her. The number one thing Yamanaka Ino is not good at is letting go.

But her father was right, Ino had a birthright to live up to as the only child of the Yamanaka clan head and a legacy to continue in the Torture and Interrogations department. The time for coasting in mediocrity was over and the time to genuinely be brave, to stare her biggest fear in the face and resolutely carry out her duties, was just beginning.

"Yes, father."

* * *

**A / N : This is the 'extra' chapter; I decided not to combine it with the original ch19 after all. Not bad for pulling something outta nothing. And while this was needed for pacing reasons, remind me to never sporadically add a chapter because I can see quite clearly now that at the rate I'm going, I won't finish Ricochet by the two year anniversary like I planned. It's looking like December for now. Did you notice Ino didn't really need Neji's help on the last mission? Also, parallelisms running rampant~**


	20. Chapter 20

**Ricochet**

It's a bright and sunny day, they are a mere four minutes' time from Konoha's southern border, and they are more than halfway naked. Not for the first time, Ino questions the wisdom of throwing caution to the wind in favor of passion.

It didn't start this way.

They had been more careful about things, at first. There had been _rules_, sort of : They would not allow their emotions to dictate which missions they accepted and which they did not. They would never allow their feelings for each other to jeopardize the success of a mission. Even in lands great distances away from Fire Country, they would never reveal the nature of their relationship to anyone. They would not go out of their way to see each other when their missions called for them to work independently. And most importantly: not in Konoha. Never would they so greatly dishonor themselves in Konoha. But a season had passed now and they were getting dangerously close to annihilating that last one.

Sometimes the tiniest things could spark an encounter between them - - an action as ordinary as a mischievious tug of the hair or even a sidelong look from either one of them and they'd be lost in themselves. A spark, and things would ignite and flare beyond dousing.

They were becoming increasingly careless, and Ino knows this is at least partially her fault. She has responsibilities to her clan and her department that she cannot ignore and becoming someone worthy of succeeding her father requires training. A LOT of training. She hasn't taken the time to chat with friends in weeks and she can't remember the last time she went shopping, but her efforts are paying off and she isn't the only one to notice. Amidst their usual A rank assignments Tsunade has begun to sprinkle in S rank missions, testing their limits as a team. They've yet to fail, but Ino wonders at times how well Neji can cope with the way things have turned out. Though the days mostly blend into one another for her, she always knows when it's been close to a week since they last _indulged_. Kisses got rougher, patience got shorter, and discretion would be thrown out entirely. Their regard for timing and location was dwindling; worse still was that neither of them were doing anything about it.

They couldn't get enough of each other, and that truth was both thrilling and worrisome.

They were becoming increasingly _dependent_, and Neji doesn't care whose fault it is. He doesn't know when their intimate encounters stopped being sporadic and became a regular activity, but he does know that her absence at his side affects him more than he will admit. He has caught himself on more than one occasion snapping at his bretheren on the Hyuuga compound during the rare times when they're given more than six consecutive days in Konoha. Ino has the knack for making him want her at the most inopprotune moments and the closest he comes to resisting her is to not even bother stripping fully. Surely some people have been left to wonder why a pair of mesh shorts have shown up in unusual places. Somewhere along the line Ino became a fixed part of his life, and as her job consumed more and more of her time, he refused to take less of it. He has grown accustomed to the feel of her form against his - to the point that he cannot sleep without her body touching his. It makes his nights in Konoha nothing short of hellish.

Ino comes down from her second high moments after him, back to lucidity and back to him. His bare forehead rests lightly on hers as a passing breeze chills their heated skin. Her fishnets have torn, her top is lying much too close to a puddle of mud, there's dried blood under her fingernails - -

and she couldn't be happier.

* * *

Tenten grieves in small ways: her hands become peppered with nicks from her tendency to space out while chopping vegetables. The refridgerator is often empty because she forgets to go grocery shopping. She catches herself staring at her reflection or across the dinner table at Neji and wondering about whose features the baby would have inherited. The already sparse mealtime conversation they once shared degenerates into complete silence and months go by without anything other than sleep occurring in their bed.

And she withdraws.

Little by little she shuts down. She stops watching the Hyuugas train outdoors, stops asking her husband what he'd like to eat for dinner, forgets to ask him if his missions have gone alright. If there are new scars on his body now, she wouldn't know. For the first time in her life, there are days when she doesn't even move from her bedroll until near noon. Days at a time pass with her forgetting to style her long coffee brown locks into her signature buns.

The world is old and small and empty and moves on around her in muted tones of ashe and soot. Even if she had the intuition to realize that maybe - quite possibly - she's crossed beyond the isles of mourning and into the seas of depression, she wouldn't have it in her to care. Depression? Just a word, equally as meaningless as everything else became the day she lost a part of herself she'll never reclaim.

It strikes her one day, standing by a lamptable and watching specks of dust dance in the stream of light filtering in from the window. It strikes her that it's been weeks upon weeks since she's properly cleaned and dusted the house. It's not that it matters - not really - when her husband's away more than he's home and visitors are practically nonexistant, but having a clean house is a matter of _pride_ and damn if that isn't all she's got left of herself. She grabs a dust rag, a broom, and a mop and sets to work.

Her second epiphany hits her four months to the day of her miscarriage. The day begins normally enough: she wakes, showers, dresses, feeds herself, cleans, and Neji returns home. It is after he voices a greeting and passes by her that her sense of smell is assaulted by the heady scent of flowers. Initially her eyes scan the room for a bouquet he must have brought in with him, but when her eyes find no such thing, it hits her that the scent was emanating from _him_. The shock of that fact snaps her attention like a cool blast of water to the face. She remembers, belatedly, one of the reasons her short pergnancy had been so unhappy: all of her husband's attention had been going to his missions. And unless her nose was lying to her, his attention was going to his _mission partner_ as well.

She tried to reason it away at first; maybe he'd had to carry Ino on his back at some point like Gai had done Lee in the past? But as Neji returned home time and time again smelling like he'd rolled in a field of flowers, it became difficult to imagine he'd given so many piggyback rides. Whatever the circumstances, Yamanaka Ino had been far too close to her husband and this was becoming a very serious issue. As Tenten brainstormed over a remedy for this dilemma, she gave deep thought to the state of her marriage and came to the conclusion that she and Neji had been living more like roommates than spouses.

She was losing her husband, but Tenten would not go down without a fight. She would not give up on the man she'd loved for so long, no, Team Gai was the one team that did not know how to surrender.

Tenten began to actively put an effort into their marriage and breathe life into their stagnant relationship. She started packing Neji's meals again, polished his weapons, and even waited for him sometimes at Konoha's gates. The most her actions garnered her was an occasional kiss on the peak of her cheekbone. Her twenty-first birthday came and Neji brought home a gorgeous bow and arrow set that likely costed three paychecks, but Tenten was dismayed. Her new weapon would never see the heat of battle and after so much time had passed since the days she practiced regularly, her skills had probably deteriorated to an intermediate level. She highly doubted she could wield her weapons as precisely as if they were mere extensions of her arms anymore.

As she dusted the gennin picture of Team Gai, Tenten wondered at how much things had changed since then. Then, in horror, she realized that absolutely nothing had changed. She never knew she could so badly miss something she never fully had.

* * *

"What's being a _shanohbee_ like, Auntie Ino?"

Asuka's high voice cut into Ino's thoughts while she flipped through a magazine and chubby fingers attempt to braid a ribbon in the side of her hair. The kid had reached the age where she'd gained a vague (and oversimplified) awareness of the world around her and she had and endless list of _whys_ that needed answering. Luckily, her part-time playmate was well accustomed to her inqueries. Ino had been expecting the kunoichi question ever since Asuka had innocently asked where Ino went when she left Kurenai's apartment. The blonde bit her lip, calculating how exactly to simplify the experience of being a warrior in terms a child barely past their milk years would understand. One day soon, Asuka would know the difference between shinobi and civilian, and between clan and family.

With a _family_ one grew up with two parents who were actually there and probably some siblings. There'd be rules, chores, maybe family outings. In a family, you were born into choice and could be whatever you wanted to be. In a clan, things were much different. You were lucky if you had two parents; luckier still if they actually had time to stick around. Your life revolved around birth order and birthright and responsibility. You did not have fun family gatherings, you had clan meetings - usually politically motivated. In a clan, you were born _shinobi_, and Kami help you if your dreams lied elsewhere.

And Ino didn't even know where to start on the subject of being a female in a near-exclusively male occupation.

She took a deep breath. "Well, it's a little bit like being an ant."

"An _ant_?", came the incredulous reply complete with a scrunched up face and Ino briefly missed the days when the child had accepted her every answer without question.

"Yes, an ant. You're one of many others and everyone has their own special job and works together to protect their home. There's builder ants, scouts, warriors...They have a queen too, kind of like how we have our Hokage."

Shino would be proud. Then again, probably not. Prior to learning that little tidbit from the gardening book in her hand, all Ino had known was that there were red ants and black ants. Beside her, Ino felt Asuka pluck some stray strands in her laughable attempt at a braid - - laughable if it weren't for the disheartening thought that she'd have to remove the knotted ribbon from her hair later. Might as well be chewing gum.

"Wow, really? What kind of ant are you?"

"Hmm. I guess I'm a scout. Or a medic ant. Did you know ants have medic teams?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Yeah-huh. Go look _real close_ at some ants and I bet you'll see one wearing a tiny medical uniform."

With wide eyes the girl jumped to her feet and dashed away, the tinkling of a bell telling Ino she'd gone out the back door and into the garden to see for herself. Ino smiled, setting down her magazine and moving behind the counter to grab a full teapot and pour herself a cup. The sound of the bells again told Ino someone had just entered up front.

"Ino?"

Sakura's voice rang out from somewhere around the geraniums.

"Back here!"

Ino sipped her tea as the pinkette came into view, the latter's expression turning comical when she caught sight of Ino's ponytail.

"What happened to you?"

"Four year old."

"Ah."

"Help?"

Sakura smirked and drifted closer while Ino shifted sideways to give her a better look at the damage.

"Well, if the proud Yamanaka Ino is asking for help, who am I to say 'No'?"

"I know, right? You should grow yours out again. Your face is much cuter with it long."

Sakura yanked a small section of hair.

"Speaking of _long_, are you going for the record of longest hair in Konoha or something? It's on your _thighs_. This is ridiculous." Ino snorted and Sakura shook her head in disapproval. "You see this? Bangs are supposed to cover your forehead; yours are beyond your boobs."

Ino shrugged and took a sip from her cup. "Rules were meant to be broken. I've been wearing it up a lot lately so I didn't really notice."

The pair made small talk as Sakura worked the knots and tangles free, bouncing from on subject to the next casually until the conversation lulled. The silence was companionable, and Sakura did not notice the change in her friend's mood until Ino broke the silence once more.

"Ne, Sakura. Is it stupid to regret something if it makes you happy? It's pointless, right? Like, what's the point if you're happy but you hate yourself for being happy? I believe in real happiness but I don't think it's supposed to make you feel, I don't know, 'unworthy'. How can it be okay to accept that happiness when it causes someone else sorrow?"

The rosette's hands stopped moving in the golden strands and Sakura tilted her head, confused with the sudden philosophical turn in conversation and wondering why Ino sounded genuinely unsure. _Maybe it's the job_, she thought. _Ino's been working way too much lately. She's probably stressed out_.

"What's the matter? Are you saying you're unhappy about something?"

A long moment passed while Ino watched through the window as Asuka dug in the dirt, then

"The opposite. I'm the happiest I've ever been and...it scares me. Happiness doesn't last forever."

Bells chimed and the front door gracelessly swung shut, a bright patch of orange weaving through the foliage and making its way towards them.

"Hey, Ino-chan! Thanks for taking care of Mr. Ukki while I was on my mission-" Naruto stopped short, his surprise at seeing Sakura in the shop evident. "Hi, Sakura-chan."

"Hello, Naruto." Sakura replied, not even trying to hide the questioning glance she shot Ino as the girl stood and went over to a nearby shelf of plants.

Picking up a cactus, Ino turned and handed it to the jinchuuriki. "Here ya go. He was a handful, you know. I suspect some pollenation occurred with the other cacti."

The botany joke was lost on Naruto as he openly stared at Ino for a full minute, much to Sakura's chagrin. Bewildered, he scratched his head with his free hand.

"Something's different about you..."

A vein throbbed on Sakura's forehead. "We're kinda busy here, Naruto, so if you don't mind..."

"Oh right, right. Sorry. I'll, uh, I'll see ya later."

Ino smirked at the last Uzumaki as he made a hasty retreat, but one look at the purple-clad person who followed after him outside reminded her of the delicate situation she was in. In a way she was Naruto, chasing blindly after her feelings and heedless to how someone else suffered for it. She needed to be more like Hinata and try not to be so selfish, though she wondered if it would do any good. No matter what angle she looked at it, from Sakura's jealousy and pride to Naruto's devotion and cluelessness to Hinata's simultaneous hope and resignation, it was a neverending game of Rock Paper Scissors and all three roles were disadvantaged.

* * *

"Oi, Hinata-chan! What're you doing?"

The Hyuuga heiress squeaked and immediately turned her gaze away from Uzumaki Naruto's back, instead facing her former teammate and his giant dog. Kiba grinned at her, knowing every bit how flustered she became when someone caught her watching Naruto and not feeling the slightest bit of sympathy for her embarassed blush. Akamaru gave her a customary lick on her cheek, the newly wetted pieces of hair now sticking to the side of her head chaotically.

"...Nothing, Kiba-kun.", her voice nearly whispered as her sixth sense could already _feel_ Naruto turning around to see what was happening. She could even envsion the bright smile he was giving her without using her sight.

"HEY KIBA! HINATA-CHAN! Long time, no see!"

Hinata flattened her palms against the sides of her legs, fighting the urge to fidget like she had in her childhood. The need to shrink away only intensified when the blonde rested a hand on her shoulder and her blush deepened.

Kiba watched the interaction with laughter threatening to spill behind his smile.

"...I h-h-have to go." , she managed to choke out and with a curt bow the kunoichi disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Naruto to frown at her departure.

"Why do she always run away like that?"

"Some girls like to be chased." Kiba muttered under his breath with a shake of his head and pat Akamaru. A glance at Naruto's face told him he hadn't heard him. He gestured at the cactus in Naruto's left hand. "Been by the flowershop?"

"Yeah. Sakura-chan kicked me out. I feel weird for saying it, but Ino-chan looks _pretty_ lately."

The words seemed to confuse Naruto as he said them, and he shifted his weight awkwardly. Kiba let out a loud chuckle and ran a hand through his hair, trying to contain his amusement as he recalled the last time he and Naruto had discussed Ino and a certain Hyuuga had sworn they were just partners. He shook his head.

_Knew those two were banging._

"Careful, Uzumaki. Girls always look prettier when they get a boyfriend, and I'm pretty sure Ino's spoken for."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. Obviously he was missing something here.

"How would you know if Ino-chan has a boyfriend?"

His confusion only deepened when the Inuzuka smiled and launched into an explaination on the mating patterns of birds.

* * *

The sky above was crimson and violet, the moon rising to claim her throne as the sun surrendered his and the stars began to blink themselves awake. Yamanaka Ino watched the shadows consume the village with vacant eyes from her perch on the water tank high above the roofs. To the left of her vision lied the very florist shop she'd just locked up for the night. If she turned her head to the right, she could glimpse Kurenai's apartment. The plants on her windowsill were budding about this time of year. And straight ahead, beyond the stores and restaurants and school... She closed her eyes slowly, drawing a breath for composure, and opened them again.

_Come here_.

A two word sentence. That's it, that's all she says with her mind and her back hunches slightly with the weight of that short statement. And she waits.

She isn't kept waiting long.

It has been maybe twenty heartbeats when she senses his arrival somewhere to her right. His feet make no sound as he comes to stand beside her and she tries to avoid noticing the hints of apprehension in the lines of his shoulders and the angles of his feet. He is perplexed at her summoning him like this _here_ and has every reason to be. _Not in Konoha. Never in Konoha_. Though she knows if she wishes it, he will not deny her. They are too far beyond facades now. Instead, she turns her sight back to Konoha's streets and wills her voice to be flat.

"We should end this."

Far below, a team of fresh gennin chase after a cat. Ino's ears catch his sharp inhale and she pretends not to see how his posture stiffens. He does not ask Why. After some measured breaths he asks a different question; one that jars her from her detachment.

"Has your heart changed?"

The very words are preposterous to her. Beneath the stun of hearing them she can't help but to feel offended.

"NO! No, it's not that. It's just..." She trails off, at a loss of words. She can't bring herself to verbalize that she isn't as good at sharing as she thought she would be. Yamanaka Ino doesn't like to be second, _ever_, and love is no different. And yet she knows she could never force him to choose between her and Tenten. She is not a betting type of girl and 50/50 odds aren't good enough for her. "We should."

His silence is intimidating until she feels his hand around her arm, gently pulling her to him. He soothed away her unease with adoring kisses and Ino chided herself for ever thinking the two of them could just walk away from this.

Neji is not a fool. He knows very well how morally corrupt they're behaving and what they're risking, but he can't give her up. He needs her too much. She's why he hasn't sold his soul to AnBu. She's why he doesn't hide his forehead all the time anymore. She's why he can see himself as more than just his responsibilities to other people. She's why he can actually _rest_ when he's sleeping. She's to thank for all of it, and he doesn't intend to show his thanks by letting her go.

Ino doesn't make any more attempts at breaking up after that.

* * *

..._information obtained was tainted, omitting the presence of an extremely large, extremely volatile panther roaming the premises near our entry point. Whilst the noise of the animal's charge was significant enough to draw the attention of the Mountain Country dignitaries and their guard, Operative Yamanaka was able to transfer her consciousness to the beast and she and I were able to dispose of the threat. Immediately thereafter we proceeded to..._

The Hokage read through the rest of the mission report with mild interest, one of her fingers idly tapping the desk as her eyes deciphered the Hyuuga's ornate penmanship. Although she would much rather avoid combing through mission reports altogether, Tsunade had to admit that she had a bias when it came to Hyuuga Neji's paperwork. Whenever Yamanaka Ino submitted the reports, the summaries were always concise and without any extraneous information. Her partner was the complete opposite; meticulously cataloguing every detail of their assignment in case something dismissed or seemingly unrelated at the time turned out to be important later. It was a rare characteristic among her subordinates but well appreciated when found. It was because of Neji's thoroughness that Tsunade was able to gauge how much progress Ino had made in the past seven months. The partnership was serving the young mindwalker well and she'd shown tremendous growth in tactical manuevering and strategic improvisation. Where she had been confident before in letting the girl lead teams of chuunins, Ino had blossomed into her role as a jounin and Tsunade was becoming confident that she could work just as well on her own.

After all, the idea to stick the girl in a partnership had never been hers to begin with. Now that she'd finely honed the skills she'd need to survive solo assignments, it only seemed logical to terminate their collaboration. Seperately, the pair would complete double the amount of missions in the same amount of time. In mathematical terms that meant more money for Konoha and Tsunade was sure the bright Yamanaka heiress would be able handle it soon.

She would give them a few more months to monitor Ino's defensive abilities and then the Hyuuga-Yamanaka team would be no more.

* * *

**A / N : Fyi, "clan" (**_**ichizoku**_**) as I've seen it defined in Narutoverse, means a group of relatives who practice speciallized **_**jutsu**_** and/or have physical characteristics that are unique to themselves. Therefore, I assume that Lee, Tenten, the Hatakes and the Harunos are families **_**(kazoku)**_**, not clans. I may be wrong. Substantial time passage in this chap, take note. And rife with hints. This is the last **transitional **chapter, from here on out it's all fireworks. Boom, baby. Good news : I have *quite* a lot of ch 21 already written. Even the dialogue. Also, new poll on my profile. Please vote~**


	21. Chapter 21

**Ricochet**

Yamanaka Ino was in dire need of a diet.

As of late it seemed she'd been walking a mile in Chouji's shoes - - suffice to say that her unshakable immunity to the edible delights of the world had recently come crashing down. She credited Naruto with the start of her downfall; all it had taken was one kind offer of a spoonful of his ramen and she'd been hooked. There was something addictive in Ichiraku's noodles as far as Ino was concerned. What started as one curious bite escalated into Ino ordering her own bowl. And then Naruto suggesting other flavors for her to try. It then became a habit with the pair meeting up for ramen dates any time they could. (A habit Neji arched a suspicious brow at - - because really, she didn't need yet another commitment to occupy her time with - - but raised no protest against.) And maybe something cracktastic was in the dango shop down the street as well because unlike the way the scent of ramen now made her mouth water, Ino didn't even have to see or smell the dango to pine after it like a spurned lover. Her lust for the sweet confection was unreasonable; it didn't matter if she'd just eaten a meal only two hours prior because somehow she always had just enough space in her stomach for a stick of dango. Or twenty. And Kami, was she paying for it. Although her waist remained trim and her hips slender, the scale in her bathroom declared her five pounds heavier and no matter how much extra physical activity she added into her daily schedule, the small bit of extra weight refused to melt away. Even as her mind contemplated how big her butt must have been getting, her taste buds danced in anticipation of dango.

"How much longer?"

Neji activated his Byakugan, looking far ahead of their path as they leapt through the forest trees.

"Another twenty minutes."

The sound of bark breaking off of a branch reached his ears as Ino landed on a limb incorrectly and Neji turned instinctively to grab her before she fell. He wrapped a steadying hand around her wrist as they leapt to the next bough and Ino seemed to snap out of her daze, at least for the moment.

"Sorry. I zoned out for a second there."

She flashed him a sheepish smile, which melted under the awkward silence that followed while Ino became aware of how still Neji was. How intensely he was staring at her. At that instant, she doubted he was even breathing.

"What?"

The color drained out of Neji's face, tiny floes of ice floating in his bloodstream as he stared at his partner-turned-lover. She was getting nervous, he could tell by the way her chakra started to fluctuate unevenly.

The tiny second chakra signature in her belly, however, was perfectly stable.

* * *

Half an hour later the shock had yet to wear off. For either of them. With a palm on her midsection, Ino ran a medical diagnostic on herself for the fourth time. When she reached the same conclusion as the previous three times she burst into tears.

Dear Kami, this was _not_ supposed to happen.

What was she going to do, being 20 and pregnant? Okay, fine, so she'd seen her share of knocked up fifteen or seventeen year old kunoichi, but this was different. She wasn't a chuunin who could just be put on the teaching roster at the academy for the next couple of months. She was a _jounin_, one of the top shinobi in Fire Country if she said so herself, and her absence from the ranks would be felt sorely. What would Shikamaru say? What would Asuma say, if he was around? Great Bijuu, _what would her father say_? At least the day she died, he'd been out on a mission and it had been days before she had to deal with his clingyness once word hit him. _This_ was something she'd have to tell him personally, face to face. She'd almost rather die again than face that conversation. And once her father knew then Shikaku and Chouza would know, and once Shikaku was drunk the entire village would probably know, thanks to the Nara's tendency to get louder with every glass he emptied. Perhaps a pregnant chuunin with no noteriety to speak of wouldn't be disgraced by the simple act of becoming pregnant, but Yamanaka Ino? It would be the scandal of the year. Her head hurt just thinking about it. She was going to have a baby. _There was a baby in her abdomen and it was _Neji's. Nothing would ever be the same.

Shellshocked, Ino lowered herself to sit on the thick oak branch they stood on, staring silently at her surroundings without seeing any of it. She hadn't believed Neji at first when he vocalized those sobering words, but it was sinking in now. So was the panic attack. Her tears came harder as the functional, kunoichi side of her psyche registered Neji settling down beside her. She didn't know how many minutes had passed when she felt him wordlessly slip his hand into hers, threading their fingers together. She sobbed until her eyes were parched and her throat was tight and the fog in her brain finally began to clear.

She was pregnant. And it hit her just what that meant for the man sitting next to her. The one who had just as much to lose, if not more, because of their selfishness. This was it, they'd screwed up in the grandest way possible and the moment she had been dreading since the whole thing began was finally upon them. Here was where their story would end; the ordinary little spot in the forest filled with the sounds of birds and buzzing insects and the everlasting ring of _Goodbye_ hanging in the air.

Ino unlaced their fingers and drew back her hand.

"We're over, aren't we?"

Neji turned his head to study her demeanor, his eyes catching every nuance as she tried to put on a brave face and make herself be okay with what was most likely going to happen. For the first time, he wondered why she couldn't read him as clearly as he could read her.

Over? Ino was his partner, his lover, and now she was carrying his child. She was the only true happiness he'd known in longer than he could remember, and he would wage war with anyone who so much as looked at her wrongly. 'Over' was the last thing they were.

His arms circled around her to crush her to his chest and Neji placed a light kiss on the top of her head.

"No."

They sat in silence again, both lending thought to what they could posibbly do with this turn of events. The more Ino contemplated it, the more it became apparent to her that they'd dug themselves into a pit with no escape. As best as her medical skills could gauge, she was somewhere in her third month of pregnancy. She would start to show soon and the baby would be born eventually; there was no hiding the inevitable. And now that she thought deeper on it, the pregnancy itself wasn't even an issue. Now wasn't the best time she would have chosen to become a mother, but she could make do without too much hassle. There was space in her home for a baby and the frequently high profile missions Tsunade had been sending them on afforded her a comfortable lifestyle. The real issue at hand was the fact that the baby was Neji's.

Perhaps there weren't rules in place about being romantically involved with one's occupational partner, but Ino had the distinct feeling that doing so was frowned upon. And then there was the fact that he was married. And a member of the prestigious Hyuuga clan. It hadn't occurred to her in her childhood, because Sasuke had been the last of the Uchihas and rules could be bent around that, but the village didn't respond well to clan mixing. The Senjus had expressly forbid themselves from intermarriage with the Uchihas and there were no records of Inuzukas or Akimichis marrying outside of their clan. Of course there was that old rumor in her own clan, something about being distantly related to redheads with doujutsu, but Ino was vaguely certain that was just an old wives' tale. When clan mixing did happen, it was always with a clan from outside of Konoha and usually done for the sake of a treaty, and that hadn't happened in decades. Even in this new era of prosperity and relative peace, Ino doubted it would be tolerated.

Ino frowned, her eyelashes tickling at his collarbone while she focused on the white of his shirt.

"What do we do?"

Neji's arms squeezed her lightly in response and she felt him draw a deep breath.

"Whatever we have to."

"We'll be targets the second the elder council knows. Koharu and Homura...even Tsunade-sama gets pressured by how strict and old fashioned they are. And Danzou,"

she grimaced, the sound of his name triggering disgust. Danzou's persistence was legendary. When he focused on a point, he followed it to the end.

"Danzou will never accept this."

"Danzou is well-worn in his age. He may not let up, he may fight this at every turn, but he will tire and wither long before I let him take steps against our child."

She closed her eyes to the serenity in his voice, the sureness of his words. _Our child_. Three hours ago she hadn't even known she was pregnant, and now she already knew there was nothing she wouldn't do for the small life growing inside her.

She also knew that their child deserved better than the situation they were in now. All the love in the world wouldn't prepare their little surprise baby for all the ridicule that was certain to come. Ino had heard stories both from Sakura and from Naruto himself of how the whisker-marked ninja had spent his childhood in scorn. The thought of her child experiencing something similar horrified her.

Very quietly, scarcely loud enough to be called a whisper, Ino thought out loud.

"What if we hide it?"

His hold on her loosened and Neji pulled back just enough to see her face. Tipping her chin upward, pearlescent eyes searched hers.

His stomach clenched. His reply was already welling up in his throat and something told him he wasn't going to like the answer. Her very question had that same force in him already screaming _No_. He was so tired of hiding, of caring what anyone else would have to say about them. He'd gladly take every punishment known to man if it meant he could keep her and their child without interference.

"What are you suggesting?"

Ino straightened up, confidence returning to her as the idea more fully formed in her head.

"I'm suggesting we cover this up, use a smoke screen. A decoy."

"Decoy?"

She nodded firmly.

"If news spreads right now that I'm pregnant and it's yours, there will be hell to pay. But if we keep silent about this, if the public sees me dating someone..."

Neji caught her implication. If Ino pretended to date someone now, it would not only dispel any suspicion about the two of them being together, but later down thee road when the pregnancy became visible everyone would assume the decoy fathered the child. The thought of it rattled his soul. Dating someone else while his child grew in her stomach. Pretending it was not his. He took a steadying breath.

"...the village would be deceived and our child would be safe."

Another nod.

It was asking for more than he could imagine right now. He knew without question that this was the hardest thing he would ever have to do. He'd just discovered he was going to be a father and already they'd reached a conclusion that his participation would be limited. It was too much too soon but they both knew that the clock was ticking and the sooner the plan went into action, the better. His heart, his pride - - it was all taking an epic hit, but he would willingly surrender them if it meant the safety of their baby.

One day, when Naruto became Hokage, he would ask him for his support. Naruto had proven himself to be an incredible instrument of change, surely he could sway Konoha to change it's ancient mindset for Neji could not do this forever. He couldn't bear to step back and watch his child grow up with another man playing father. Ino's solution would only be a temporary fix at best, giving them time to figure out what to do once the child was born.

"Fine."

* * *

"You are NOT going down there."

On their fourth mission since the discovery of Ino's pregnancy, they find themselves having their twenty-fifth argument over Ino's safety. Their path back to Fire Country leads straight through the remnants of a Sound hideout. The structure is worn and more or less unprotected, but there are still a few shinobi taking refuge in its shelter. By the looks of them - - underweight and clothed in garments that have clearly seen better days - - they have nowhere else to go. Even their weapons look uncared for. But Neji examines the small group with the eyes of a man who has something important to protect, and they fail his safety appraisal.

"Neji, they're _gennin_."

The scowl on his face stays put, and in the end they compromise: Neji is right at her side as they literally walk past their enemies. After Ino assures him she's put a strong genjutsu in place, of course.

They soon realized that, in all practicality, Ino could not stay on the active duty mission roster. So long as she was pregnant, Neji would have her nowhere near the action and didn't dare to leave her by herself. A failed mission could be atoned for; there would always be other missions. There would never be another Ino. Prioritizing her well-being increased the difficulty of their already strenuous assignments, effectively elevating their chances of failure, and this was a gamble the both of them knew they could not afford to continue to take. Together, they decided to request a joint leave of absence from the Hokage. As much as they'd been working, a small hiatus would be plausible and wouldn't rouse suspicion.

Tsunade spares them the trouble.

On a day when the skies were cloudy and the air was thick, they each received a scroll via Genma announcing the end of their partnership. The luck in timing manages to keep their shock and anger in check long enough for them to appreciate the Hokage's decision. Ino seizes the opprotunity, modifying her request for leave with the claim that she wants to focus on the Torture and Interrogation department. Tsunade is pleased at Ino's supposed 'motivation' and grants her request.

With the most immediate causes of concern taken care of, Ino finds the time to conquer her next objective.

She feels his footsteps hesitate as he notices her presence in what is usually a private, secluded space. _His home_.

"Beautiful?"

The word rolls off his tongue in question as if he can't quite register the yellow of her hair and the violet of her clothes amongst the stark black and white of his apartment.

Ino glances back briefly with a small smile before her gaze veers back toward the various paintings and sketches that line Sai's walls.

"Naruto and Sakura always told me how much you love painting, how often they see you working on a new art piece. I came to see for myself."

His house is not a gallery. The artist isn't even sure if he wants his art to be seen by anyone, but the sight of the friendly blonde in his home strangely does not upset him. He sets down his bag of supplies and moves to stand beside her. One of his more abstract pieces has captured her attention and he studies her reaction as she takes long, appreciative glances at it. The sudden shift of her attention from it to him almost startles him.

"I like this one. It's so peaceful."

She's complimenting him, he realizes, and struggles to come up with an appropriate response. The last time someone commented on his art, when Sakura had gazed at his special book of illustrations, she had done so with a much more scrutinizing gaze. Ino looked impressed. What did you do when someone was impressed? One of the books he'd read mentioned it being important when a girl gave compliments to a guy. It meant something. At least, he thought he remembered that meaning something. Either she was trying to befriend him, or she was showing signs of attraction to him.

Sai figured either way was some kind of progress. He'd started his friendship with Naruto and Sakura on rocky terms, maybe he could do better this time. Maybe he could learn more about what it was like to communicate with someone as a comrade and not as an outsider. Maybe he could learn to develop the kind of attachments to people Naruto and Sakura had to others.

He flashed her a soft smile, the one Sakura told him that looked more genuine, and pointed to another painting off to the side.

"This is the newest one I'm working on."

* * *

It takes surprisingly little prompting on Ino's behalf for Sai to start asking her on dates. She accepts every time with a dazzling smile, and if that smile is a bit tight around the edges, he doesn't notice.

It's why she chose him.

If she has to do something as underhanded as having a false boyfriend, she'd rather it be someone who wouldn't be too hurt by the end of things. What better choice could she have than the stoic artist, a novice to the world of hormones and emotion? She'd never seen a more perfect target in all her life. The least she could do, Ino figured, was make his time with her filled with smiles and laughter.

And if there seemed to be small mountains of cigarette butts appearing in places where she and Sai regularly met, she turned a blind eye to them. Her choices may not have been the best ones, but she had made them and she was going to see this through to the end. With or without anyone else's approval.

* * *

Neji trudged through the layer of leaves littering the ground, the bag on his back feeling heavier as he made his way down the levels of the Hokage Tower. He'd just completed his sixth mission without Ino - not that he was counting - and the success in finishing it had felt hollow. To work alone after years of heading teams had been a strange adjustment, one he wasn't sure he'd completely adapted to yet, and the trek back to Konoha had been bittersweet.

He hadn't seen Ino in fifteen days, _half a month_, and the workload was taking it's toll. He hadn't had a good night's sleep in days - - hell, the first two missions, he didn't sleep at all - - and now the demands of his body were catching up with him. He caught snatches of sleep when he could, though the lightly-forming crescent moons under his eyes were evidence that those short naps weren't enough. Between his insomnia and the constant question of how he was going to break the news to his wife that he'd betrayed her in every sense of the word, Neji turned to meditation to fill the void. It cleared his mind -temporarily- and relaxed his body, but was an all-around poor substitute. Meditation would not sustain him forever.

He navigated a hallway, swerving out the paths of several administrative workers and various shinobi until he reached the first floor. Passing by one of the lounges, someone called out to him.

"Hyuuga. I need to speak with you."

Neji twisted to face the lazy drawl of his name and was met with Nara Shikamaru's cold expression. He blinked, and the shadow user urged him out of the hallway. Inside the lounge was small, furnished with couches and chairs, a short table with an empty coffee pot and the remains of chips and cookies. Several dirty coffee mugs lay strewn about and the paintjob was chipping at the corners of the walls. Aside from the two of them, the room was unoccupied. Neji slung his pack on the couch and dropped down beside it; Shikamaru uncharacteristically took a seat on the cardtable in front of him, his hands linking together as he leaned his arms on his legs. Neji had long expected this to happen, some point down the line. Nara Shikamaru was a well respected man in Konoha for his intellect even if not for his combat prowess. He knew the genius, of all people, would pick up on what was going on eventually. He also knew the genius would not approve. Neji relaxed his limbs on the stiff, cheap couch cushions and waited for the volcano to erupt.

"I know what's going on between you and Ino." Shikamaru started, his tone serious. "And I know that she loves you."

Neji kept silent, his poker face unreadable to sharp chocolate brown eyes.

"And that's enough to worry me. I don't know you very well, Neji. I'll be the first to admit that, but I _do_ know Ino and I _know _how strong her love is. Ino-Shika-Cho is not just a battle formation; Chouji and I wouldn't be the people we are today without Ino. There aren't words for what she means to me. And to see her now, running around with Sai when she really... I don't know what happened with you two, but please tell me you weren't just toying with her. That's something I can't forgive."

Shikamaru stared challengingly at the Hyuuga prodigy. Ino would forgive. She would hurt but she would forgive Neji if he broke her heart, even if she couldn't forget the heartache it caused her. Yes, Ino would grant him forgiveness and maybe Chouji would grant him sympathy for such a bad decision, but Shikamaru would only grant him pain.

Neji returned the stare. It was a threat, one Neji knew Shikamaru had every intention to follow through on if necessary, and Neji understood loud and clear. He'd react the same way if anyone looked to be treating Hinata-sama poorly. He resisted a flinch at the thought of how things looked. In the lazy nin's eyes, he was the douchebag who'd just broken the bubbly blonde's heart, causing her to go on the rebound. A threat of bodily harm was well within reason. He ought to have been suprised Shikamaru hadn't demanded he stay away from Ino. Then again, he was married and they weren't partners anymore. Shikamaru probably thought that was the end of them. In other circumstances, he may have been right - - if Neji didn't stand so much to lose with either choice.

"That's not the case. Ino and I...I have the deepest respect for her. You have my word that I would never treat her so trivially."

Some of the tension eased away from the younger man's posture, only to be replaced with a more somber look. Neji could practically see the wheels turning in his head : if Neji would never treat Ino so shallowly, then their relationship was mutual and more serious than Shikamaru had thought. Which most likely meant-

"You love her."

"Yes."

No pause. No hesitation. No shame. In that moment, Shikamaru wasn't sure if he admired the Hyuuga or despised him.

"Then let her go."

Neji wouldn't even if he could.

* * *

For two months, things go well. In reenforcement of her approved request, Ino concentrates her time into advancing the Torture and Investigation unit. She passes some policies that help the division run smoother and gets involved with nearly every case that comes in. She's present at every meeting, has read every new file, knows exactly who is assigned to what. One by one, her peers consult with her when they face troubles with documents or difficult prisoners and one by one Ino manages to find solutions. She has always been well known in the department, but it isn't until Ino pauses one day and thinks about just how much her opinion matters that she realizes she is now well respected as well. Perhaps a little more than as a comrade.

Things with Sai progress flawlessly. He has memorized her likes and dislikes, taken her teachings of normal behavior to heart, and holds hands with her like it's the most natural thing in the world. She learns that he only likes to use acrylic paints, his first ink-to-animated creature was a mouse, and that he'd like to fight Sasuke all-out one day and see whose skills are superior. Their dates are always in highly public places, Ino makes certain of it. When he opens up to her about his childhood friend Shin, Ino can't help but to ponder what she would have done in his place. The fight with Sakura in the chuunin exams, though mild in battle, was difficult enough emotionally. She can't imagine being ordered to kill her or risk dying by her hands.

She's flattered and a little guilted by how often the artist thinks of her. Though Sai doesn't go on missions nearly as often as she did with Neji, when he does go it's always short-term. He never mentions a word of his work but Ino is sure his assignments are short because they are assassinations and she's sure that he does them alone. She worries. Even if their relationship is fake, her _friendship_ with the ex-ROOT member is genuine and she does not want him to die. During his recent assignments when he is far away and Ino is stuck brooding over his safety, she's come home to the sight of a small ink-made rabbit hopping around her apartment. Despite the fact that it dissolves eventually into a puddle of ink she has to clean, Ino loves it when the rabbit melts away. It means he's back.

Shikamaru, surprisingly, pops back into her life. For a while she tortures herself with trying to figure out what caused his change of heart, but the first day that Chouji comes by her office with lunch she knows that _they know_. She thanks the heavens that this generation's Ino-Shika-Cho are better at keeping secrets than the originals.

The baby is growing with time. At five months in, she had gained a total of eleven pounds and her stomach had developed a distinct curve, though still smaller than she expected so far along. She could believably pass for being only three months along, and Ino suspected that the embryo had taken root towards the back of her womb. She could feel her child moving sometimes, an odd sensation liken to a butterfly fluttering around in there. Her vanity had taken something of a hit - - some days, she awore feeling like she was the prettiest girl ever. Other days, she looked at the size 2 skirts in her closet and cried. She did what she could to lessen the noticability of her bump, having discreetly bought a slightly longer purple skirt she wore higher on her waist and took to wearing the signature tench coat of her department. And Sai seemed to love the long, billowy dresses she wore on their dates. So far, nobody had bothered to notice that the blonde with the killer body had put on a little pudge.

At the end of two months, however, things go downhill. Immediately.

While Ino studiously avoided the hospital with ease, and to an equal degree avoided being in the presence of Tsunade or Shizune, eluding Haruno Sakura proved to be a different matter entirely. It had been a long while since they last caught up or even got a good look at each other's faces, and recently every time she turned around Sakura was headed her way. It took every strategy of evasive maneuvering Ino knew to continually escape her. Maybe Sakura had realized how long it had been and missed her. Maybe she thought Ino was angry with her. Whatever the reason, Ino did her best not to stick around to find out. Alas, even her best efforts eventually failed her, and one day Ino found herself cornered by the pinkette after leaving flowers on Asuma's grave.

"What the hell, Ino?"

"What?"

"_What'_ nothing! You know 'what'! I've been trying to talk with you for weeks. You keep blowing me off."

"I was not blowing you off."

"That time in the dango shop?"

"Clan meeting."

"That time in front of your flowershop."

"Late for training."

"What about when you were buying supplies at the store last week?"

"Didn't see you."

Sakura facepalmed. It sounded like Ino had taking excuse-making tips from Kakashi.

"It's not like I've come to borrow money or anything. I just wanted to know about you and Sai."

Ino shrugged. "We're dating, what's to know?"

"He's my teammate. He may be awkward and sometimes downright rude, but I do care about him. He doesn't know anything about relationships. I guess I just- I don't know. He can't be what you want him to be. He kinda looks like Sasuke, but he's so much more detached. I don't want you to get hurt."

"I'm a big girl, Sakura. Thanks for looking out for me, but I'm fine. Really. Sai's a pretty good catch and, _unlike_ Sasuke, he's willing to at least try to be human."

Ino stuffed her hands into her coat pockets as they walked, self-consciously covering herself lest the medic's keen eyes spy the change in her formely lithe physique.

Sakura frowned at her friend, growing unsettled by the physical and emotional distance Ino was putting between them. Ino may have been an exceptional liar and deceptionist extrordinaire, but Sakura had known the girl her whole life and she knew when the Yamanka was keeping something from her. And Sakura was hellbent on finding out what that 'something' was.

"But why Sai? Why now? Three months ago, he was barely on your radar and now you two are this sickeningly sweet item. It doesn't add up."

"Since when does romance have to 'add up'?"

"Since it's you and you don't do things randomly. You can tell me. Since when did I stop being someone you told everything to?"

_Since forever ago. Since you were so wrapped up in Team Seven that you weren't there for me. _

Centering her thoughts, found herself quoting Shikamaru.

"People change."

The blue eyed beauty _Shunshin_'d away before Sakura could pry any further, and Sakura stared after her with mounting concern.

No matter how well Ino had hid her physical symptoms, she hadn't suppressed her chakra until two full seconds after Sakura had first dropped in on her. And those two seconds had been telling. Ino's chakra was strong, thick in the atmosphere around her in the way only pregnancy could cause.

And Sakura had the sinking feeling that the baby was not Sai's. They had barely been dating a full nine weeks and even though she knew Ino was a flirt and seemed to be the poster child for impulsiveness, it was rare for Ino to rush into relationships. Romantic or otherwise.

* * *

It didn't take long for the Haruno to start sleuthing. Ino was not the type to hide big news from her friends, especially when the big news was positive. To hide a pregnancy could only mean that there were less than favorable variables involved. Sakura was willing to be that the variable in play here was the paternity of her baby. She hoped for Ino's sake that she'd at least been knocked up by someone in the village. It was not unheard of for kunoichi to return from missions impregnated, but it presented some very serious concerns. If the child's father was from a clan outside of Konoha, they'd have to kill it. If the child was fathered by a wanted criminal, they'd have to kill it. If the child was fathered by a political figure, they'd have to kill it. And given the Ino's tendency towards picking the creme de la creme, Sakura doubted the likelihood of the father being some ordinary foreigner.

It would be difficult to unmask the identity of the man who'd put Ino in this situation, for who could hold a secret better than a spy? And this was not the kind of information that could be gained from thumbing through top secret files. She would have to try and pull some answers out of whomever she could, and Sakura knew exactly who to start with.

Sakura was in luck. Thanks to her access to many sealed rooms and documents, she discovered that Hyuuga Neji had returned from a mission recently and would be in Konoha for at least three more days. Up until their recent termination as a team, they'd practically been stuck with each other 24/7. If anyone knew anything about who Ino might have been intimate with, it was Neji. She wasted no time combing through the village for the sight of him, and eventually found him meditating on the outskirts of one of the training grounds. She casually sauntered over to where he was seated, his eyes shut even as Sakura stopped in front of him despite the both of them knowing he'd detected her presence long ago. Sakura shifted her weight to one foot, reluctant to break the ice and interrupt his concentration, and with one long exhale Neji slowly opened his eyes.

"Haruno." He greeted, pale orbs locking her in his gaze as he gestured for her to take a seat. She did. "Something tells me this visit isn't about me coming in for my annual exam."

His deadpan expression as he quipped about her visit caught her off guard and Sakura smiled, relaxing.

"No. Although it really would be nice if you could come in sometime this month. If I remember correctly, your medical file hasn't been updated in over a year."

"I'll make a note of that."

The kuoichi's hand toyed with the blades of grass around them, idly plucking random sprouts while she searched for the words to steer their conversation in the right direction. After a few moments of patient silence, Sakura decided it would be best to be frank with Neji. There was no way she could get answers from the Hyuuga without him knowing she was pumping him for intel.

"I saw Ino today. I noticed her _condition_."

The pinkette thought she might have seen a look of alarm flicker across his features, but it happened so quickly she wan't sure if it had happened at all. It was like trying to read a blank page, there was no text to give her clues. Unless the words were written in invisible ink.

"So you have. Is she doing well?"

"I guess. I barely got two words out of her before she pulled a disappearing act."

At that, Neji's lips curved upward. Towards the end of their run as a team, Ino had further strengthened her skills in developing exit strategies. There wasn't a structure the young mindwalker couldn't break into or out of, let alone her talent for shaking pursuing enemies from their tail.

"I see."

"But it's really important that speak with her. I'm sorry to ask, I know you and Tenten have just lost your baby, but-"

Neji went rigid. Sakura continued speaking, but Neji could no longer hear her over the volume of the chorus repeating on loop in his head. _I know you and Tenten have just lost your baby_. _I know you and Tenten have just lost your baby. You and Tenten have just lost your baby._

"-if you know anything about who the father could be, please tell me. If Ino's gotten involved with some top-notch foreigner, she could be in danger. Konoha could be in danger. Some villages take that sort of thing very seriously. Or, at least, can you help me eliminate some prospective partners? Was she seeing anyone casually? Did she have to seduce anyone?"

In the answering silence, Sakura realized Neji had zoned out.

"Neji?"

Distantly, he remembered he needed to breathe. Inhale. Hold. Exhale. Blink. Repeat.

His throat felt full of cotton.

"Tenten..."

Sakura swallowed. It really was too soon to be bringing that up, she knew, but she _had to know_. Konoha could not risk any ties with the wrong people. If the father turned out to be someone in the Bingo Book, even if the conception hadn't been...concentual, the few allies Konoha had could turn on them for associating with fugitives. If she carried the bastard child of a major clan, Konoha was at risk for attack.

"Neji, please. If you know anything about-"

"What happened?"

"What?"

"What happened to Tenten, and..." he couldn't bring himself to say _our baby_.

Understanding dawned on Sakura as it sunk in that Neji didn't know Tenten had miscarried. It had been half a year ago, she'd just naturally assumed he knew. An assumption she'd made at the cost of his dignity. Shamed to have been the one to deliver the news so crudely, Sakura told him what she knew.

"It was a high-risk pregnancy from the start, it could've been any number of things. Sometimes a fetus fails to thrive. Sometimes the mother's body rejects the pregnancy. Sometimes a lot of stress can trigger a miscarriage. Sometimes it happens for no reason at all. I wish we knew, but there was nothing we could do. I'm sorry."

His next words made her breath catch in her throat.

"How far along was she?"

Heavens, the poor guy hadn't even known that much! Her sympathy for him rose.

"Eleven weeks."

Neji closed his eyes, a hand coming up to brace his forehead as he lowered his face and his brows twisted in anguish. Sakura stood to leave, her questions unanswered.

* * *

It was long past dusk when Neji returned home from the training grounds. The birds had gone silent, settled into their nests, and their melidous songs had been replaced by the monotonous chirping of crickets. Opening the door to his house, he first thinks that Tenten has gone to bed as well. The livingroom is dark and the house is quiet, but the house is always quiet and he can see from the small glow around the corner that the diningroom light is on. He removes his shoes in the foyer and heads for the back of the house.

As he passes the lit diningroom, Tenten turns to look at him and he stops to do the same. It feels like he's seeing her for the first time. It's hard to reconcile the fact that Tenten, the same girl who'd spent so many years by his side and _knew_ how much starting his own family would mean to him, would keep her pregnancy a secret. The bitter, pleading looks on her face tells him that he isn't quite what she thought he'd be, either. There is a plate loaded with food still resting at his place at the table, waiting for him and he notes there is no steam rising from the tea in his cup.

She speaks, her voice careful and quiet.

"Hinata said you finished training with Hanabi hours ago. Where have you been?"

In truth, he'd wandered all around Konoha trying to clear his head but his mind kept going back to Sakura's words and he'd ended up at the very last place he should have been. Even that relief had been short-lived; Ino wouldn't let him stay more than five minutes in the flowershop, fearing that more than that would draw people's notice. They'd had just enough time to look each other over to make sure they were both okay and then she'd hugged him by the door, communicating with her mind that with her appetite she thought they were going to have a boy. He barely remembers where he went after that.

"I had matters to see to."

His wife scoffed, her arms rising to cross under her bustline petulantly. For a moment he had deja vu; flashing back to when her twelve year old self held the same pose with a look of absolute business on her face as Gai told the team they were making a detour for some outlandish reason too stupid to listen to.

Tenten could feel her perseverance wavering, the emotional damn she'd been guarding so well ready to burst. The first trickles of anger and resentment leaking out.

"_Matters?_ That's your excuse for never being home? Neji, there have been _matters_ since we were twelve! Since long before we were born! Is work the only thing important to you?"

His brows creased at her frankness. It's the first sign of expression she's seen on his face in months.

"No."

"Then what is? What else is important to you?"

In the corner of her mind, the word she really wants to ask is _Who_. He isn't teamed up with the Yamanaka anymore, she's heard it for herself in the everyday chatter of off duty jounins in the market. The blonde temptress wasn't around any more to entice him and she'd expected him to finally, finally put his marriage first in his life. He hadn't, and Tenten was nearing the end of her rope.

Tenten's words were daggers in his chest, her eyes sharp and accusatory as she waited for him to explain himself. Neji would do no such thing. Despite the irritation he felt rising in him he didn't dare to confront her about keeping things from him, not when he himself had withheld so much from her. No matter what she'd kept from him he would have to tell her about Ino; about the affair _and_ her pregnancy.

But not tonight.

He needed time to process the clashing sense of loss and the rising anticipation of being a father. He would come clean about everything, just not tonight.

Wordlessly, Neji turned and continued down the hall as if the conversation had never happened, ridding himself of his training gear and sliding into bed.

Tenten stared at his untouched plate of food, the symbol of everything wrong in her life. He wouldn't answer her question, but she knew now who was important to Neji - - and it wasn't her. Apparently, disbanding their partnership was not enough to stop the Yamanaka girl from consuming her husband's thoughts.

Eventually she cleaned up the kitchen and retired to the bedroom, but as the both of them laid there, neither of them got any sleep

When Neji finally did drift into unconsciousness, he dreamt of Ino.

* * *

**A/N : Apparently Ino didn't know about the notorious virility of Hyuuga men. That's why the Hyuuga clan is so big, Ino. Also, Uzumaki-Yamanaka bloodties implied (based off of Inoichi's comment about Nagato's abilities). Sidenote: it IS possible to 'carry towards the back of the womb', I've seen it in real life where someone's gaining the right amount of weight but still looks less pregnant than they are.**


	22. Chapter 22

**Ricochet**

As Ino heaved the last of a stack of completed paperwork into a filing cabinet, she sensed another person enter the room. A scathing remark sat ready on the edge of her tongue because _dammit_, hadn't she told everyone to have their paperwork in by 0100 hours? And wasn't it a full hour past that? She had just devoted a mindnumbing amount of time to signing off on documents and making corrections on incorrectly completely forms and hunting down missing paperwork and - may the Sage of the Six Paths be her witness - she didn't care if the Hokage herself came in with paperwork, she was not touching another sheet of paper. But the chakra in the room rolled with unmistakable familiarity and Ino let her shoulders drop as she shoved the cabinet shut and turned around to lean against it. Shikamaru stood a few feet away, his arms bearing a bundle of confections and baked goods Ino could smell across the small distance, no doubt compliments of Chouji.

"Hey," she breathed, walking over with open arms to accept her giftbasket. Shikamaru forked it over with an expression that almost became a smile before it wilted into concern.

"You should get some rest. Pulling long hours like this..."

She smiled at him and bit into a scone, setting the basket the side of her desk. Propping herself on top of the desk as she chewed, the lamplight beside her painted her profile on the wall.

"I know. Trust me, it's murder on my back. It's like there's barbwire cradled at the base of my spine."

The shadow user winced as he looked her over, dark eyes observant. The shadows on the wall flickered and his silhouette, seemingly independent of Shikamaru himself, crouched by Ino's shadow and set a hand on Shadow Ino's stomach. She was almost six months along, and the curve beneath Shadow Shikamaru's hand was evident to them both. In spite of her efforts, her weight gain was fairly obvious and while Sai had said nothing of it, few would mistake her round midsection for simple fat. Shikamaru cleared his throat.

"You tell your dad yet?"

Her crestfallen look was answer enough. He could see the flickers of fear in her eyes.

"We can be there, when you're ready. Just let us know when."

The offer coaxed a smile from her lips. Having him and Chouji there really would make that whole confession a little easier for her, but she knows that if they are there when she reveals her pregnancy, Inoichi will immediately suspect one of them as the father. This was something she'd have to do without their backup.

"No, it's okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah."

"...Okay."

She knows they are with her in heart the night she does tell him. She neglects to reveal the identity of the baby's father to Inoichi, but makes clear the uniqueness of the situation. His face is an iron mask the entire time she talks, and when she finishes, he exhales loudly and rubs the back of his neck. For a few tense seconds, Ino feels three years old again and almost shakes with fear. Almost. Then, he speaks. He doesn't fail to let her know that she couldn't have chosen worse timing with her just dawning into her prime years as a shinobi, but with a small smile he adds that he is not adverse to the notion of being a grandfather.

Her mother cries rivers and latches onto her as if she'll float away if she doesn't.

* * *

The first time Sai kisses her, it is midday and they are sitting at a benchtable under a pavillion. The air is still moist from a rain shower earlier and the sun is hiding behind the clouds. A chaotic pile of flowers rest in front of the blonde - just common blossoms found in the area - as she cuts and meticulously arranges them before binding them with the cheapest twine on hand. To her side, Sai thumbs through her edition of _The Fine Arts of Ikebana IV_ until he comes across a pressed Mum in its pages. He peels it away with his fingertips and lifts it in front of his face for a good look of it's flattened state.

"This one got smashed."

Ino's hand movements stop as she looks over at him, a smile budding on her lips. The sight of it already conjuring a memory of Asuka's first birthday celebration.

"It's not 'smashed', it's pressed. It's supposed to look like that."

Sai's dark eyes left the bloom in his hand to meet her gaze, his look quizzical.

"This was done on purpose? Why?"

Ino almost laughs. She can see that, to the artist, pressing a flower makes about as much sense as pouring bleach on a painting.

"It's like a momento; a keepsake. A little something to jog your memory of a happy time."

Sai remains confused. Why would anyone want a dried up flower?

"But it's dead."

Ino spends the next two hours explaining to him the value of flowers after they've technically died. She decides that it's impressive how he hangs on her every word about pressing flowers and drying herbs and how to make potpourri.

Sai's eyes never leave her face. Ino has always had a very universal beauty, but she seems to glow as she speaks passionately about flowers and all the ways they make people happy. Her lecture is cut short by a bumblebee insistent on landing on her head. After much swatting, she decides the two of them might be better off in the next pavillion over. They stand to move, and she's shocked beyond her senses when he drops a kiss on her forehead.

The second time Sai kisses her, she is sweeping the floor of the florist shop when the bells chime and he comes through the front door. His uniform is an absolute mess of ink and dirt and blood - still wet in some places - and Ino literally drops what she's doing to lead him out back. A few feet from the garden she hoses him down, clothes and all, like a pup who's been playing in mud puddles. Even when she rinses his hair for good measure, he doesn't make a single complaint about the water's ice cold temperature. Instead, he stands patiently and waits for her to finish. When she does she fetches him two large, fluffy towels and instructs him to remove his sandals before he comes back in the shop. He complies while she sets to making hot cocoa to warm him up. When she hands him the steaming mug, he bends down to press his lips to her cheek.

The guilt in her heart grows.

* * *

Ino is 24 weeks pregnant and she still doesn't know what they're going to do once the baby is born. In less than a hundred days, she will be a mother. She's fully aware that she's running out of time, but every time she tries to think of a solution, it falls apart. She cannot leave Konoha, there is too much of herself here; everything that has meaning to her is rooted in Konoha. She cannot give her baby away either; no amount of peace would be worth the seperation from her child. And to have it all out in the open, to announce her weakness and connivance to the village for everyone to judge her is absolutely terrifying. With every day that passes, the voice in her head warning of impending disaster grows louder.

* * *

After so many months of spending copious amounts of time with Ino, the separation from her is painful. The separation from his child is downright _brutal_. A visit here and there is not enough to soothe Neji's nerves, and little by little he makes concessions along the way. He learns to sleep again, though even that is only possible when he's home and Tenten allows him to hold her. It's not even remotely the same. He can't have what he wants, that's the story of his life, but he can hold what he already has.

Neji has never been one for pretense, his mind is far too shrewd to entertain fantasies, and a little more each day his resolve to perpetuate the image of a dutiful clan member in a perfectly stable marriage cracks and degrades. With Ino out of his life, he has a lot of unwanted time in the boundaries of Konoha, and his abundance of time inevitably breeds an abundance of thoughts. In his daily meditations, his mind spins theoretical scenarios. He cannot protect Tenten from the truth forever and it is she, perhaps more than himself, who will be most affected. What will become of her place in his home? What of her place in his family? What action will Hiashi take when he learns of his adultery? What if Ino's plot succeeds, is he to stay away from her indefinitely? He already knows he cannot.

In the meantime, he knows that he can still compromise.

He finds reasons to send Hinata to the flowershop: _Natsumi is feeling unwell, go and fetch some clover from the flowershop. Hachirou is developing an allergy to the shrubbery, please ask Yamanaka-san for advice. I wish to visit the memorial today, bring home a bouquet when you return from your briefing._ Hinata accepts his requests without question. She knows her older cousin has not been himself in quite a long time. She also knows he cares for the blonde heiress deeply, and though Hinata doesn't know just _how_ deep his connection to her is, she can tell from her very first visit that the sunny blonde is pregnant. Excluding Kiba's little scare with a barmaid last year, none of the Konoha Eleven have had children. Hinata can see how this would be reason enough to keep eyes on the girl who was his partner. As seasoned shinobi now, her comrades know the value of the generations to come. One year's offspring can change the world.

After a while she begins to visit the flowershop on her own. Neji never brings it up, but Hinata knows the knowledge of that calms him. Some days it is a quick visit, just to stop in and keep Ino company. Often, she'll walk in and find Shikamaru or Konohamaru or Naruto already there with carry-out ramen. Some days she stays for hours, helping the mindwalker with things that have fallen to the floor or pots too far back on the shelf for her to reach. They form a sort of gentle friendship, and Hinata finds it easy to hold conversation with her.

They don't discuss Neji.

It remains unclear to the Hyuuga just how all of the dots connect, but there's something in the way that Ino rubs her belly and something _not _in her eyes when Sai shows up that makes her think the dots connect somehow. She bids her farewells when he makes his greetings.

* * *

"No really, I have money this time! You don't have to have water. Here, have the good sake."

Naruto nudged a shot of premium sake Ino's way, trying again to coax her into having a drink with her ramen.

"It really enhances the flavor of the seaweed."

Ino released her stare from the two kunoichi in the other corner of Ichiraku who were none too subtly glancing at her and speaking in hushed tones. Self-consciously, she pulled her trenchcoat a little more firmly shut. No doubt that if her recent changes in apparel hadn't tipped them off to her condition, her reluctance to have even one drink had practically confirmed their suspicions. The two empty bowls in front of her in addition the the half-eaten one she was working on probably didn't help to hide it either. She wondered how many rumors were circulating about her already. Her eyes dropped to Naruto's hand.

"No, it's okay. I took some medicine for a headache earlier, so I can't really have anything. Besides, where'd you get money from? You're constantly broke."

The way Naruto jerked his chopsticks away from his mouth and broke into a blissful grin told Ino she'd asked the right question.

"That's right! That's what I meant to tell you today! Baa-chan is finally letting me captain a team; she gave me the mission this mornin'. About time, right?"

Ino set her own chopsticks down, dabbing at the corners of her mouth with a napkin.

"What? That's great, Naruto! Congratulations!"

"Yeah, thanks! It's Uzumaki-taichou now, by the way."

"Excuse me. Congrats, Uzumaki-taichou." Ino giggled, humoring him.

"Damn that sounds good. I'm never going to get tired of the sound of that. It's barely a B rank recon mission but still. _I_ get to call the shots this time. Baa-chan's even letting me handpick my own team! So I've been thinking. I've got all the muscle, so that's covered, I just need a good tracker and someone _really_ good at infiltration 'cause this place is like maximum security lockdown. So here's where you come in. I heard you're not really teamed with Neji anymore and Baa-chan really wants you to work alone, but y'know if I ask her..."

Ino quickly grabbed her glass of water and downed half of it. _Shit shit shit._ This was a big day for Naruto and he was celebrating and he wanted her to be a part of this milestone. The Hero of Konoha wanted to work with her. Even if he was still the most dense, hyperactive, eternally optimistic shinobi around, what he was offering her was still a great honor. She set down her cup and scrambled for words.

"I would...love to, Naruto, but I'm going to have to take a raincheck on that. I'm working this case in T&I and I'm just _so close_ to being done. If I leave now, it'll be re-assigned and someone else will get credit for all my weeks of hard work. You know how much that sucks."

"But Sakura-chan can't come and you're the next best choice."

Ino glowered and Naruto backtracked.

"Not like that. I didn't mean it like that! I'm saying you're the expert, and since Sakura's _busy_-"

"I know what you meant, Naruto. Thanks, but I still can't. Next time, definitely. Meanwhile, why don't you take Hinata as your inside guy? She can even double as your tracker. I'm sure she'd love to go."

Naruto squinted uncertainly, crossing his arms over his chest and cocking his head to the side. He had spent more time with the Hyuuga heiress lately, most of the time running into her when he came to visit Ino at the shop. He didn't seem to have picked up on how completely lovestruck the girl was, but at least he no longer thought of her as 'weird'. Ino found it endlessly amusing how Hinata gradually learned to relax in his presence while Naruto began to have random moments where he looked at anything but Hinata, a look of guilt painted on his face as if he'd commited some great offense by noticing she was pretty. _Finally._

"Yeah but...it's going to be really dangerous. I don't want Hinata-chan to get hurt."

Ino's glower resurfaced.

"N-Not that I wouldn't care about you getting hurt either, Ino-chan. It's just _different_. Do you think you can ask Neji for me if he'd do it? We're kinda friends and all, but you know him better than I do."

"Oi! You guys are sitting here with good food and good sake and you're talking about _Hyuuga_? You've got to get out more."

The blondes turned to the third voice joining their conversation, and Ino recited a little prayer of restraint in her mind when she saw that it was Fujiwara Shingo, asshole extrordinaire. Naruto greeted him and clapped him on the back when he claimed the empty stool beside them. Shingo smirked at Ino.

"Don't know Neji that well, eh Uzumaki? Well, I've always believed that the two best ways to learn a person are either to fight 'em or fuck 'em."

"Fujiwara!" Ino went pink, though rather in fury or embarassment she couldn't say for sure.

Naruto raised an eyebrow.

"Eh? Well, I only ever fought Neji that one time. Ino-chan knows Neji pretty well, I guess that means you guys fight a lot?"

It made perfect sense to the self-proclaimed future Hokage. After all, he and Sakura fought near constantly - if the pinkette punching him repeatedly and him cowering in submission counted as such. Heaven knew he could never honestly raise a finger against her.

Below the bar's counter, Ino's foot delivered Shingo a vicious kick before she pushed away her bowl and stood up.

"Yes, we do. And with that, I think I'm done here. I've got a date in a couple of minutes anyway. Catch you later, Naruto."

She ducked out of Ichiraku before the jinchuuriki could protest. How Naruto could stand to be around Fujiwara was a mystery to Ino. If his chauvanism wasn't revolting enough, the barrier specialist was absolutely tactless, even moreso than Sai, and that was one hell of a feat to accomplish. _Sai._ She was supposed to be meeting him over in the residential side of town in five minutes. Looking down at her work clothes, Ino groaned when she realized she didn't have time to change into something cuter and more 'daytime date' appropriate. The cream colored dress with the white lace ruffles would have been perfect for today had she realized earlier how quickly the time was passing. Pausing in front of a store, Ino checked her reflection on the display window to make sure her face and hair at least looked good. She smoothed down a few flyaways before she once again set out to meet her "boyfriend". Ino found Sai exactly where he said he'd be waiting; in the oldest housing section near what was once Orochimaru's childhood home.

He wasn't alone.

Sakura flanked his right side and, judging by the taciturn expression on her face, Ino was willing to bet she was still trying to discourage Sai from dating her. It didn't surprise her in the least, Sakura's stubbornness being one of her stronger qualities. Evidently, Sai was paying the pinkette no mind at all. His eyes settled on Ino and their coal depths lit with warmth.

"Hey Beautiful."

"Hi Sai. Do you mind, Forehead? The whole Third Wheel thing is a bit too uncool even for you, don't you think?"

Sakura tried to muster a glare at Ino, but it dissolved as her verdant orbs traced the slight arcing of Ino's coat along her stomach. Ino didn't even attempt to suppress her chakra, and her childhood friend appeared to be mildly surprised to find Ino's 'secret' still there. The fact that the mindwalker had allowed the gestation to continue reenforced her theory that the father was no common joe. She had to be feeling a strong sense of attachment to the baby to chose to keep it despite knowing what sacrifices would be made and what consequences might play out. Ino ignored the medic's uneasy expression and concern in her voice.

"You should stop by the hospital some time. We could _check up_ on that room they're renovating; I hear they're painting the walls _baby_ blue."

"There's no need. I'm sure however it turns out, it'll look _fine. Don't worry about it._"

She could almost see the protest forming on Sakura's lips, and turned her attention back to Sai to make it clear the conversation was over. She clung to his arm for good measure.

"Ready to go, Sai?"

Sometimes Ino forgot just how effective her flirtatious side was. She achieved the desired effect; Sakura indeed shut her mouth - figuratively speaking, as it was quite obviously gaping at the moment - but not because of Ino's brazen flirting. Sai's response to Ino's seemingly innocent question was to lower his head and place a small kiss at the corner of Ino's mouth.

But the violent spike of chakra that immediately followed was not Sakura's.

* * *

The scene before him was not at all what Neji had been expecting when he left the training grounds minutes prior. He'd fully intended to buy lunch somewhere, maybe even utilize the public bath before finally swinging by the hospital for that annual exam he was due for. Thus, he was caught completely unaware when he took a shortcut through the residential district only to be graced with the sight of somebody _kissing_ Ino. He barely noticed the swift change in his energy, but all three of the people present abruptly turned in his direction.

The mortification in Ino's eyes was clear, but it was countered by the genuinely friendly smile Sai showed him. Clearly he had no concept of why the atmosphere had shifted at his appearence, as demonstrated by the hand he kept loosely around Ino's wrist. Neji did little to clue him in. Outwardly, the Hyuuga was eerily calm.

The one to break the ice, oddly enough, was Sai.

"Hello. You're Neji, right? The strange green man's former student?"

Perhaps it was lucky the artist knew so little of Neji so that he had no offensive nickname to assign him.

Neji took a deceptively harmless step forward and Ino felt her nerves rise.

"Let go of her."

Ino knew that posture, that tone in his voice. While she had witnessed and - on occasion - been the cause of his anger rising to the surface, she knew that it was when Neji was well and truly pissed that he seemed the calmest. Sai however, was not privy to this knowledge. He shifted the weight on his feet, his body hiding a little more of Ino from view protectively even while his voice remained cordial.

"Ino and I are on a date. Contact is important in this instance."

Sakura's gaze bounced between the two of them, not entirely sure why things felt so tense. Did Neji also not approve of Sai and Ino dating? She looked to the blonde for some sort of hint. Ino's face bore no anger at the Hyuuga's interruption nor any confusion. Pure dismay was written across her features and Sakura found herself that much more lost. What exactly was going on?

"You'll be making contact with the ground if you don't let her go."

Ino's heart raced, not knowing what she should do. If she defended Sai, Neji would feel insulted. If she acquiesced to Neji, her mock-relationship with Sai could be stunted and Sakura would have even more motivation in her quest to find out the truth.

"I don't think that's likely, Hyuuga." , came the reply from the pale shinobi, the earlier friendliness simmered to a flat tone. He didn't need to be an expert at socializing to know when he was being threatened, and he had no reservations about meeting threats head on. He had fought Naruto, Kabuto, and Sasuke at different points in time and had no doubts about his skill level.

Neji bristled and Ino's panic got the best of her. She tugged at Sai's arm, prompting him to break the staring match and look at her.

"We're going to be late for the play."

Sai searched her expression, his experiences on missions leading him to recognize her look as one of muted fear. The hand joined with hers gripped tighter, reassuringly.

"Let's be on our way, then."

His free hand rose to cup her cheek and before he could think to kiss her, pain bloomed simultaneously in his right shoulder, mid-ribcage, sternum, lower ribs, and abdomen. Sakura quickly snatched Ino out of the way, transfixed as she watched the two top tier shinobi trade blows. It was the oddest sight; two people Sakura had never presumed to have even spoken to each other before, swinging fists and throwing kicks with fervor as if they were mortal enemies.

As if they were Naruto and Sasuke.

The thought sparked something in Sakura, and she nudged Ino back before diving in to intercept, not unlike her sensei had once done with her teammates. In one well-timed move, she deflected the attacks of both and used her chakra-enhanced strength to forcibly fling them far apart.

"I don't know what is wrong with the two of you, but this nonsense ends **right now**."

For the second time in her life, Ino felt like she was seeing Inner Sakura. And Inner Sakura was still extremely scary.

* * *

The Godaime pinched at the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes. A double shot of Rice Country's best sake would have been perfect right about now. She hated being diplomatic! This was why, this was _exactly why_ she had never wanted to be Hokage. Her eyelashes raised enough for her to glare at the group of shinobi standing before her.

"Would someone mind explaining why two of my most skilled shinobi were **brawling in the street like common thugs**?"

Her voice raised a decibel and her small audience had the decency to look remorseful. The occasional bar fight was to be expected from the older generation, maybe even from Naruto or Kiba as well. Neji and Sai were the last two people she would have bet to show up in her office for disorderly conduct. What the girls had to do with the issue, she didn't know, but for the moment she was disappointed in all four of them.

"I was tending to my girlfriend, Hokage-sama. Hyuuga-san seems to have reacted badly to it."

Knowing her apprentice had no time to maintain a love life, the Hokage's eyes flickered over to Ino.

"You. Step closer."

Ino eased closer to the desk, knowing all too well what was to come next.

"You're quite far along. Why didn't you tell me sooner you were carrying? I would have capped your office hours to the minimum. And you," her sights shifted back to Sai, "Had you told me your girlfriend was pregnant I would have sent someone else on that last mission." Tsunade huffed. She could tell from the second the girl set foot in the office that she was pregnant; when you'd spent as many years as she had in the medical field the difference was as plain as gin and water. And obviously the Hyuuga had a possessive streak a mile wide. She couldn't say she was surprised; Jiraiya had been much the same when she had chosen to date Dan. From what she heard on the days when she got to go to the bar to drink, between the Hyuuga, Nara, and Akimichi boys no man could approach Ino. Under her breath, she muttered something that sounded suspiciously like _It's Dan and Jiraiya all over again._

Sakura hung back, watching what transpired with attentive eyes while her academic brain reeled. The fight had been the mother of all clues, but she had hoped against hope that her rising suspicions were way off track. She felt bad for even considering where her mind was heading, but the parallels between what she knew of Tsunade's past and Ino's present were too striking. Over the years, Tsunade had waxed nostalgic every so often, recounting to her the tales of her youth and occassionally her love life. Sakura knew Dan had been the love of Tsunade's life. She also knew that Tsunade had always known Jiraiya was in love with her. And if Sai was Ino's Dan, then Neji was Ino's version of Jiraiya.

Suddenly, the fight earlier made _much_ more sense to the pinkette. Her eyes darted to Ino.

Ino watched Sai's profile for a reaction to see if he'd be shocked or disgusted, knowing he couldn't possibly mistake the baby for his, but the ex-ROOT member was the picture of stoicism. He gave a shallow bow of apology and Ino followed suite. Tsunade's sharp stare finally setlled on Neji.

"It sounds as if you instigated this incident, Neji. I'm disappointed in your lack of judgement. Do you have any idea of how irresponsible it was to engage in a physical altercation while in the presence of a pregnant female? Are you aware of the harm you could have caused her and her child?"

"I would never harm our child."

Again, the words slipped from Neji's mouth before he could catch himself. A moment of stark silence passed before Tsunade ordered Sai and Sakura out of the room.

Sakura could hardly believe her ears, and as hard a time as she was having digesting it all, she knew it must have been harder for Sai. As the door shut behind them and they headed for the stairs, she marvelled at how he was seemingly unfazed by the news.

"You didn't know about this, right? Aren't you angry? Ino was pregnant and never even told you. Don't you care?" She looked at him as she spoke, but Sai kept his gaze straight ahead. She half-expected him to ignore her, but in the same monotone voice he was infamous for, Sai gave Sakura the answer she craved. And it was far from what the kunoichi was prepared for.

"It didn't matter that she was pregnant; she was my girlfriend."

He walked on ahead of her and Sakura watched him trail away with a deepened understanding of her teammate. Sai _did_ care, surprisingly. And in contrast to the clinging emotional mess one would expect of someone experiencing love for the first time, Sai had shown a superior sense of devotion by choosing to let Ino go. If there was someone else she wanted, he wanted her to be happy. Ino had melted his plastic little heart and though it lay open and weeping, Sakura couldn't say it was an entirely terrible thing. In her years of life she had hurt people and in turn been hurt, but Sakura was still certain that feeling something awful was better than feeling nothing at all.

When Sai reached his apartment, he set down his keys and took a minute to glance at all the new paintings he had stewn about. Some were large and some were small and all were done in a variety of styles, but each held one feature in common: a sole girl. The scenery, her outfit and hairstyle all changed with each picture but the face was always the same. Every face was Ino's.

* * *

Konoha was positively buzzing with rumors about Ino's pregnancy and the fight that had broken out in the streets. Some said that the Hyuuga was furious about losing his mission partner and took it out on her boyfriend. Some said that the baby belonged to someone not from Konoha, and that the artist held a grudge against Ino's partner for that. Some said the blonde got pregnant on purpose because Neji worked her too hard and she wanted to quit. And still others said she'd gotten pregnant just so the artist would marry her. Some even dared to say the entire thing was a hoax. Hundreds of theories circled the hidden village in every department and every rank. It seemed everyone had heard the news by sunset.

And everyone had.

Neji held no delusions that there was some way his wife hadn't heard about the fight with the ink-ninja, nor that she wouldn't guess what - or, more accurately, _who_ - the fight had been about. She was well overdue for an explaination; a full telling of the truth of what had changed in the time since he'd first gotten to know the Yamanaka. He went straight home after the scolding and subsequent guarantee of a serious discussion in Tsunade's office, prepared for the storm of fury sure to hit him when he walked through the front door. He was perplexed when he walked in to find everything in order - nothing was broken, the house looked immaculately clean, and the dinner table was full of entrees and side dishes. From sight and smell, Neji could already recognize them as all of his favorite foods. In a moment of question, he took a second look around to reassure himself her things are still in place. They were. The strangeness of it all, not to mention the timing, confounded him. Tenten herself emerged from the kitchen seconds later, dressed in one of her best outfits and hair worn down in a manner he'd never seen outside of bed, save for the fact that every hair was in place. She smiled when she spotted him motionless in the living room and he couldn't help but to think that something in the curve of it was wrong.

"Oh! I finished just in time, huh? Come eat before it gets cold."

She took her seat and started to load her plate. Neji obliged with a slow stride toward the table, approaching cautiously as one would upon a sleeping bear. As he sat down it crossed his mind that his portion might have been poisoned, but he banished the thought immediately after. As much as they've been through, he has more faith in her than that. He started to dig into the katsudon and Tenten surprised him yet again when she tried to stir up conversation. She told him of how she got one of the recipies from one of his cousins, reminded him of Lee's upcoming birthday, and mentioned that she'd been thinking they should get a new stove. He knew her well enough to detect that she was only _pretending_ nothing was wrong. When they finished their meal, she began to chatter about ceramic tiles versus linoleum and Neji knew they'd both avoided The Discussion long enough.

"Tenten, what is all of this?"

His voice, low and even, is enough to make her stop mid-sentence. There was a time when that voice made butterflies swarm in her stomach; now it filled her anxiety. She closed her eyes, willing back the tears that had been threatening to spill all day long. Just _once more_, for just _one more day_, she'd wanted to feel happy and loved like she used to. Her voice shakes.

"Is it true? Is that girl pregnant?"

A pause, then : "Yes."

"...Is it yours?"

A full minute passes without a sound. Tenten takes his silence as a confirmation. It's feels like zero hour; the bomb has detonated and Tenten is moderately surprised at how anti-climatic it is. The apprehension built up in her flees and tenacity takes it place. She remembers that she is not, in fact, made of glass and she wants all of the answers now; all the answers to the questions she hadn't let herself ask.

"Wasn't I enough? What about my pregnancy? What about _our_ baby?"

Neji's eyes glint angrily and his words turn thunderous, a low rumble in his throat.

"And when were you going to tell me you had been pregnant? In a year? In ten? Did you _ever_ intend to inform me?"

Things are quickly culminating into a battle of words, Tenten realizes. Only this is a kind of battle she doesn't know the rules to. But she does know that all battles leave scars and that regardless of the passing of time and changing of hearts that they have never wanted to hurt one another. She wants answers, not verbal combat.

"I was; I wanted to. I just...couldn't."

Even now the pain of loss is fresh. It must be even more raw for him finding out secondhand and after the fact. Each question is difficult to ask and even more difficult to hear answered. Nothing about this is simple, but Tenten has no interest in stopping now. This is the most open and honest the two have ever been.

"You and her, was it _one_ time? Was this just a drunk night or...?"

Neji breathes deeply and turns his face for a moment but his eyes find hers again when he answers.

"We were never drunk."

He leaves the first question hanging in the air, and Tenten will not have that. They've covered too much ground to recede back to old habits of avoidance.

"How many times?"

He would like to give her a clear answer but he himself isn't sure.

"I don't know."

She hesitates, then: "Do you love her?"

Even once it's left her mouth, she isn't sure she's ready to handle the answer.

"Yes."

Never in a million years would she have predicted Hyuuga Neji falling in love with someone else. It had taken three whole years for him to even notice she was in love with him, and several more after that to return her feelings. She was halfway sure he'd never even considered anyone else romantically before. She only has one question left.

"And me? Did you ever love me?"

"I do. I did."

Not all marriages were built on love, but until the past year and a half he'd thought his was. He _did_ love her, in so much as he'd believed he did, but what does a caterpillar know about flying? Nothing, until it flies. Love is not always straight lines and function and peace. Sometimes it's the twists and the dysfunction and the challenge. Sometimes, just because an equation balances out doesn't mean it's right. Neji knows this now just as surely as he knows he loves her still...but it will never be in the way that she loves him. For that, more than anything, he wished he could apologize. If it would lessen her misery, he would.

Tenten shakes her head mirthlessly.

"Where did we go wrong?"

He isn't sure they were ever right.

"My intention was never to hurt you."

She knows. She never thought they'd end this way. She never thought they'd _end_.

* * *

"Onee-chan!"

Konohamaru belted out from the living room, causing Asuka's eyes to snap to the doorway as well. Kurenai chuckled and Ino hugged her in greeting before following her inside the apartment. Asuka latched on to Ino's legs before she could even sit down and Konohamaru hovered close by. Mixed in with excitement, Ino could faintly sense hesitation from the teenager. Kurenai peeled her daughter off of Ino's legs.

"Come on now, I now you're excited to see Ino, but she and Mommy have a few things to talk about." She placated the squirming child in her hands with a kiss on the side of the face and set her back on the floor. Then she turned to Konohamaru. "Why don't you take Asuka down to the Nakano River to play?"

Konohamaru made a face as if readying an objection, but thought better of it. Taking Asuka by the hand, they exited the living room with a soft click of the front door. Ino took her seat.

"What's up with him?"

Kurenai swept away some small toys and took a seat across from Ino. She met Ino's question with a small smile.

"He idolizes you. He was always hoping you would date his only other role model." With a tilt of her head, Ino signals that she has no idea what Kurenai's talking about. Kurenai clarifies. "Naruto."

The lightbulb in Ino's brain came on and she made a little "o" with her mouth. Even Konohamaru's generation had heard the rumors already? She'd thought it would be at least another day before the younger shinobi found out.

"Fat chance."

She shrugs out of her coat and lays it beside her. Folding her legs underneath her, her belly is even more prominent. Kurenai sighs and shifts in her seat. Though not her own student, the blonde's dedication to Asuka has bred a close kinship between them. She likes to think things would be the same even if Asuma had survived. Except, perhaps, a few less mouths would be gossiping with his intimidating form roaming about.

"People will want answers soon. What will you tell them?"

Ino shakes her head. "What can I say for myself? That I would nev- That it wasn't me? It was. I did. The rumors are true, I am pregnant." A long silence stretches before Ino allows herself to say the forrbibden words out loud. "And Neji is the father."

Kurenai's brows drew together worriedly. The hearts of men were fickle, this she knew. The hearts of women, however...

"Do you love him?"

Ino nods. "With everything I am."

The raven haired kunoichi leaned forward, her scarlet eyes grave as she imparted the best advice she had to offer.

"It was never my choice to be a single mother. We planned Asuka; Asuma and I _planned_ to be parents. We just didn't plan on either of us dying. Asuka will spend the rest of her life with just me as a parent because he's gone, she won't have the choice to know her father. She won't get to call him unfair or rebel against him or apologize later. She won't get to ask him for advice when she goes on her first mission or cry in his lap when she kills her first human."

Kurenai paused, rueful.

"But if that Hyuuga loves you the way you love him, those things are not yet impossible for your child. You still have a choice for his involvement."

It is both the most useful and most useless advice Ino has ever heard. It does nothing to make her choice any easier.

* * *

It is well after dark when Ino leaves Kurenai's home. The older woman spent hours helping her make plans for the baby's arrival and giving 'new mother' advice Ino had already known, and when she departs her arms are stuffed with handwritten home cures for everything from morning sickness to tension headaches to swollen ankles. Kurenai is a fantastic mother, but Ino heard almost none of her words. The entire time she spoke Ino could not shake the thoughts of her situation. So much is up in the air and none of the outcomes look promising. What if Tsunade doesn't allow her to keep the child? What if, ultimately, she and Neji can't protect the child from the elder council? What if her own village has her assassinated to keep the peace? _No,_ she thinks to herself, _now I'm being paranoid._ Konoha would never do something like that. She shakes off the thought and continues down the street. Rounding a corner, Ino finds herself face to face with the person she'd needed to speak with the most but had been too humbled to face. Although it's debatable if approaching her sooner rather than later would have done any good, because Hyuuga Tenten looks positively _incensed._

They hold a tense stare for several moments as Ino is unsure if she should open her mouth or if a fist will fly into it. Finally, the silence is broken as Tenten speaks to her with clipped words.

"Thirty seconds."

Ino is grateful. There are, she's sure, many women who wouldn't even give her that much time to explain herself. She starts.

"I want you to know that this - all of this - was never, ever planned. I wasn't trying to take Neji from you and he wasn't looking for anything...but this wasn't some _tryst_ either. It's not all skin and sweat, what we share. It's also faith and connection and strength. It's love. And this", she spares a second to gesture at her baby bump, "may not have been planned, but it's not a mistake. This is a symbol of that love and I can't say that I regret it, but I do wish things were different."

Tenten braces herself as she listens, trying not to let the hurt and rage overtake her. She is tough, but even she is amazed at how composed she is able to keep herself when she really wants nothing more than to rearrange Ino's face. She figures it is her sympathy that makes her strong as the only reason she is not attacking is because the girl is pregnant. Even with how off-the-charts fuirous she is with her husband and his mistress, this is still Neji's child, and she can't bear to rob him of fatherhood a second time. She hates what he has _done_ and yet she cannot bring herself to hate _him_. The blonde stands there waiting, as if expecting a response from her but Tenten has nothing to give her. She is all out of questions, all out of answers, and even if she had any left she would not provide them to _her_. When a few more moments of silence pass, Ino takes the hint. With a shallow bow of the head, she cautiously walks around Tenten and disappears into the night. Tenten breathes deep and moves to brush a stray hair out of her face

only her hand won't move. A second too late she notices that even in the darkness of night, her shadow should not be so dark when standing under a lit streetlamp. Part of it seperates and recedes before her very eyes and by the time the shadow user steps out from a small alley, Tenten's fury is rekindled.

"Is she that important to everyone? Is she so damned special?"

Heaven forbid everyone's favorite blonde get the slap she deserved. Apparently she has not only a fanclub, but a bodyguard.

Shikamaru levels her with a look of patience, his hands kept loosely at his sides now that he no longer has to hold the final handsign of _Kagemane_. They do not return to his pockets.

"That, just now, wasn't about Ino. It was about _you_. You've seen what revenge does to people, we all have. I couldn't run the risk of you taking vegeance."

He is completely honest with her. Shikamaru remembered the day Team Ten set out to avenge their fallen sensei. He remembered the way he felt when they'd succeeded - guilty. He had survived against someone who'd beat his sensei; someone so much further from his skill level than from Asuma's. He'd been victorious, and that victory had felt stolen from the man that deserved it. He wasn't the hero, Asuma was.

Tenten, however, does not care for his honesty. She is sick of being last to know and sick of being made to think that her thoughts, decisions, and actions count for nothing. Shikamaru, Ino, Neji, she's disgusted with all of it. She is _done_.

"Hypocrite! What gives you the right to stand in my way?"

Shikamaru shifts his weight and settles a hand on his hip. Tenten is still full of anger, rightfully so, but at least her hands are no longer balled into tight, circulation-stopping fists. The worst of it has passed and for now, he knows Ino is safe.

"Nothing. And they had no right to hurt you. You don't have to forgive them, but I'm not going to let you hurt Ino."

She stares daggers at him to make up for the kunai she doesn't have with her. When it becomes obvious that Shikamaru is only going to reply to her ranting with rationality and facts, she deserts him and makes her way to Team Gai's old training grounds.

* * *

This is not what Hiashi had wished for his nephew. Thinking back to his urging him for a child a year ago, he never fathomed that things would turn out this way. He never imagined himself standing in the Hokage's office beside a far too calm Yamanaka Inoichi. Hizashi had always been the more rebellious brother; apparently it's a hereditary trait. Neji's taste in women is similarly reminiscent but, like his father, he is not favored by fate. It's a compilation of bad decisions stacked high, ready to crash on everyone in radius. The first - and perhaps least severe - is the girl. Yamanaka Ino is not only from another clan, but as the sole daughter of the clan leader is undoubtedly the heiress to the title. Any other girl, even from another clan, would have been a better choice. His second mistake, most obviously, is the pregnancy. Adultery is never a minor thing, even when there are only three people involved, but the addition of a pregnancy and half-breed children complicates things exponentially. Third and most grievous among his mistakes is the timing. The girl is a bad idea and the baby is a stupid accident, but nearly all of it could have been easier dealt with were it timed differently. Almost any other time would have worked : if Neji were older, more established in the clan. If Hinata had already borne children and the Hyuuga clan heir was secured. If Neji were still unmarried. Any. Other. Time.

"The way I see it, the best course of action would be for us to keep the child. Enroll the infant in our clan and keep the identity of the father confidential. There will be less conflict."

Inoichi is solemn, his words carrying an air of certainty. To Hiashi he's not only had too much time to think, but he's wrong. Hiashi interrupts.

"I disagree. It would be impossible for the Yamanaka clan to correctly train a Hyuuga. Without proper instruction, the child's Byakugan - should it be inherited - would have to be sealed. Doing so would simultaneously strip away all manner of sight, but the protection of the _kekkei genkai_ supercedes personal interests. The child should remain within the Hyuuga compound; I can arrange for relatives to rear the infant. We cannot admit the progeny of such impure heritage into the clan registry and it is likely the child will be of the lowest status, however is that not worth the value of sight?"

Inoichi looks offended but lets the heritage comment slide.

"The Hyuuga clan is four times the size of the Yamanaka clan, they suffer no shortage of heirs. This is my daughter's first born child. It deserves all of the rights granted by bloodline."

"A child you would not have if not for the Hyuuga clan. Is it not tradition that children are enrolled in the clan of their fathers?"

"Is it not tradition that men be faithful to their wives?"

One of these days, Tsunade swore to herself she would get a No Pissing Contests sign just for her office.

* * *

The day Tenten took on the Hyuuga name had been a day full of ancient customs and sacred traditions. There was nothing traditional about what she was doing now. In the wake of the news that her husband had cheated on her and fathered a child, the house had become increasingly suffocating to her. Despite having finally laid their souls bare and having no secrets between them, Tenten found that she could no longer look Neji in the face anymore. Where there had been a time when she had harbored hope that things between them could be repaired, she now conceded the time for such a thing had passed. A one-night stand she could deal with. And affair she might get over with time. But a pregnancy? And still wanting to stay with the homewrecker even _after_ Tenten's numerous attempts to keep their relationship alive? That she could not gloss over. Her time with Neji had run it's course and despite Hiashi's insistence that she needn't leave, Tenten felt it was time to leave, to heal, and maybe someday start fresh. For the time being, she took what little valuables she had with her to a tiny apartment she could now call her own.

* * *

At the end of the day, the problem is bigger than a simple squabble between two clans. It brings to question if the old policies are outdated; if clans should by themselves be allowed to decide who is admissable as a clan member and who is not. It's the kind of situation that can spark feuds and discontent, and for that Konoha's elder council must be involved. Tsunade arranges a time for the elders and the clan heads to convene and clears out her office. Looking ahead, she knows she's in for a long, stressful meeting. The Hyuuga do not condone divorce, the heirs of clans are forbidden intermarriage, and no one person can belong to two clans. She's still trying to sort it all out in her head when Danzou's old form shows up in her doorway.

He comes, he says, to offer a perfect solution. Give the child to ROOT.

Tsunade pacifies him with the promise she will consider it, and while the old warmonger grumbles at not receiving an immediate answer, it's enough to get him to leave. For now.

When Kiba shows up to turn in reports from his recent mission, he's met with an empty sake bottle smashing into his forehead and a door being slammed in his face. He'd say something about it if he didn't think the Hokage could beat every square inch of his ass. He shoves the paperwork roughly into Shizune's hands when he passes her on the way back to the stairway.

"Dunno what she's getting all pissy at _me_ for, _I_ ain't the one sticking it to my partner."

* * *

**A/N : To Winry7405, congrats on your foresight! Your Sherlock skills are **first class**, noting the plan flaws before I could even bring it all crumbling down. (But yes, Neji was aware of how flawed the plan was)**

**To everyone else, sorry this is a super-rough draft. I just wanted to get it out to sate your curiousity, I'll fix it proper and pretty later. And it's finally time to tell you all the big secret : Ricochet has more than one ending! Three in total (Main, Tengoku, Jigoku) plus an epilogue (for Jigoku). There will not be a sequel to Ricochet. Sorry, but I have a lot of other Ino stories (some are NejiIno) that I've been neglecting. That being said, I actually recommend you read all three endings because I made sure there was something to satisfy everyone with each one. This is my last Author's Note, there won't be one on the endings, so here's where I say goodbye to all you lovelies. Thanks for reading! I appreciate each and every one of you, you've made writing this story a lot of fun. As usual, I'm open to any questions or comments you guys may have, so feel free to pm me or hit me up on Tumblr (RenegadeRoyale) anytime! In the words of Chrono Cross: "**I'm sure we'll meet again, someday, you and I. Another place, another time. It's just that we might not realize that you are you and I am me. Let us open the door to the great unknown, come across another reality, and live another today. Even when the story has been told, life goes on. Until we meet again, take care of yourself, my friend**."**

**With love, Nukumi**


	23. Jigoku

**Jigoku**

"Tsunade-sama."

The Hokage grimaces. The day has been long enough with people flying in and out of her office like flies in a barn and she still has that council meeting to attend, she really doesn't need the interruption right now. But the young girl standing in her doorway is none other than one of the two people the council meeting is about, and Tsunade rubs her eyebrows and waves the girl in.

"A meeting has been scheduled to handle the matter. I thought I made that clear."

"You have, Tsunade-sama, it's just that..." Ino grapples with a way to phrase her thoughts. She must choose her words carefully, must get her point across without it seeming like she's trying to override the Hokage's power. "I was wondering if there wasn't an alternative solution. Without involving the village elders."

The Sannin's face is unreadable for a beat before she closes her eyes, breathes deep, and speaks.

"...There may be. Danzou has made a proposition. Under his care, your child would be enlisted in ROOT, and there the matters of clan and who the child's parents are would be of no issue."

Ino visably recoils. Already, Danzou was a step ahead. The bastard was worse than she thought! He didn't want to abort the child; _he wanted the kid for himself._ The thought sent shivers down Ino's spine.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, I decline. _We_ decline. If I may, I do have another idea."

Tsunade watches Ino with interest, marvelling at the boldness of a girl with limited choices. ROOT was not an ideal place for _anyone_, really, but it was better than leaving the child's future up to chance. After what the village went through with the rivalry of the Uchiha and Senju clans, Tsunade knows the elders are unwilling to risk any chance of civil war. They would do anything to prevent it; anything up to and including taking an innocent life.

"Go on."

"I request permission to apply my talents to the situation. My pregnancy may be common knowledge, but few know for certain the truth of the matter. My _Shoukyouseishin no Jutsu_ is strong, I can remove the memories of those involved without them ever knowing I have done so. With no memory of Neji's involvement with me, there would be no grudge from the Hyuuga clan. And the elders still haven't been briefed on the details of the meeting, have they? That leaves only a handful of people; a trade of a small bit of their memories for one life. For the sake of a member of Konoha's next generation of shinobi. From this perspective, isn't it a small price to pay?"

The Godaime nodded, taking it all in. Clearly, in the short time the since mindwalker had become pregnant she'd learned to think like a mother.

"Granted. You may proceed with removal of memories from Hyuuga Hiashi, Neji, and Tenten. As for Sakura, Sai and Danzou, I'll seal the records and declare a confidentiality order. But Ino,"

"Yes milady?"

"Once this is initiated, there will be no going back. Five, ten, fifteen years down the line, you will still have to live with this decision. Any requests for an appeal will be denied."

"I understand."

"Alright. Commence your objective within the night. Dismissed."

* * *

Ino targets Hiashi first. He is milling around in the lower levels of the Hokage Tower, waiting for the meeting to start when Ino approaches him from the front. She _wants_ him to see her coming. She _wants_ him to still feel like he has the upper hand in every way. She asks him if they can have a chat in private, and though he regards her with a careful eye, he indulges her. They walk into an empty lobby and take seats on plastic couches - her with a grip on the armrest as she lowers herself down. Getting up and sitting down have become harder with the bulk of her weight in her midsection. Hiashi breaks the ice.

"Please understand, Yamanaka-chan, I mean no disrespect to you or your clan. This is simply an unfavorable situation."

"I agree. That's why I've come to discuss options."

Ino starts off talking about the possibility of her child splitting time between both clans and neither having full custody and then smoothly transitions into clan rites of passage and by the time she starts asking about how Neji performed during his, Hiashi's mind is relaxed and ripe for harvest. Ino concentrates hard; it's difficult to both carry on a conversation and invade someone's mind without them detecting your presence. It's even harder when you're searching through the memories of that mind for a specific period of time. She works gradually as she talks, Hiashi adding comments of agreement or disagreement occasionally, and by the time she has run out of busy-talk all that's left to do is wipe the beginning of their conversation from his mind. She gets the opprotunity when he stands up and she struggles to get to her feet.

Hiashi is, after all, Neji's relative and a man of good breeding. He offers Ino a hand and with that single contact, all traces of what he knows about her and his nephew are gone. She can tell by the odd look in his eye that he has already forgotten why he is in the Hokage Tower, or even what they were just speaking about. Ino thanks him for helping her up and asks him if he's come to the Tower to see the Hokage. Hiashi replies that he is on his way out and Ino watches him leave.

Tenten is harder to access. There is no chance of another conversation with her and Ino has to climb four flights of stairs to reach Tenten's floor. Outside her door, Ino can more easily pick out Tenten's mind from all of the others, and when Tenten settles down for dinner Ino activates her jutsu. Unlike Hiashi, Tenten has no clue of Ino's presence and the process is easier with an unguarded target she doesn't have to distract with words. It is not, however, faster. Tenten's suspicions go much further back than Hiashi's, and Ino must be careful to only pluck pieces of memories from the past year. She clears them out with no resistance, leaving the brunette with the fuzzy memory that she and Neji had broken up but no solid reasons as to why.

Of course she saves Neji for last. Deceiving him would be a challenge, so she doesn't. She meets him at the edge of the Hyuuga compound and he greets her with warm arms and soft lips. Ino melts into it, prolongs it. In a moment, she is going to erase every one of these instances from his mind. In a moment, she is going to take away everything that has made them _them._ This will be the last kiss he ever gives her, and Ino wants to remember as much about it as she can. It ends after a while and it takes conscious effort for Ino not to burst out crying then and there.

Neji's mouth settles by her ear and he whispers _"Don't worry."_ She wants to tell him that he should be the one worrying. All of his defenses are down and she is about to betray his trust by taking full advantage of that. One minute she is revelling in his warmth and his love, the next she is plunging into his mind and steadily attacking his every reminiscence of her.

Of course, Neji will not let them go easily.

Ino finds his mind to be the most resistant by far and in spite of her mastery of the skill, she is not able to erase a single memory of herself. This has never happened to her before. Normal people do not cling so strongly to their memories, do not preserve them so crisp and clearly. Then again, Ino has never before attempted to erase someone's memories of a person they loved. Unable to do what she has sworn to the Hokage, she is forced instead to set in place a mental block. Ino walls off his memories of her, puts walls around those walls, and seals them all with a hefty lock. No amount of torture or invasive technique could unlock what lies behind them; she's triggered the memories to scramble if anyone tries. As long as Neji doesn't strain his brain too hard trying to remember what was hidden, the block would hold. He stiffens in her arms as her jutsu is completed and pulls back to regard her with a confused frown.

"Yamanaka,"

She cuts him off. Whatever sterile words he has for her, she doesn't have the strength to hear them. A tear slides down her cheek.

"Sorry, the hug was probably too much. Thank you for listening to my problems, Neji."

He looks as if he doesn't quite buy her cover story, but Neji can come up with no other explaination as to why someone he barely knows was hugging him or why he allowed it. It doesn't feel like the full truth, but he accepts it.

"You're welcome."

And quietly, with no shouts of protest, Ino walks out of Hyuuga Neji's life.

* * *

"Your motivation is admirable but it seems unwise to rush through the mission. Have you forgotten your patience, Nara?"

Neji can't quite put his finger on it, but Nara Shikamaru has been short with him since the moment they left Konoha on their joint mission. He'd dare wager that the shadow-nin dislikes him, _severely_, although whenever he tries to pinpoint why that may be, he comes up with nothing. He does not recall Shikamaru being so curt with him even back when they tried to rescue Sasuke, and Neji is sure he was much more worthy of his scorn back then. It's worse than dislike, really. Dislike implies a level of toleration. Shikamaru has been as hostile as he's ever seen him, only interacting with Neji when absolutlely necessary. If Neji didn't know any better, he'd swear he offended him somehow.

Shikamaru only scowls and moves faster. The sooner they finish this, the sooner they can return to Konoha and he could make sure Ino was fine and go back to passionately ignoring the Hyuuga's existence.

But Neji is soon proven right. In his haste, Shikamaru overlooks the tiniest of details and all of his careful planning and timing is shot to hell when they move in just a second too soon. The enemy's numbers are low, but their skill level is high and the fights drag on much longer and bloodier than intended. He criticizes himself again and again as he hauls Neji back to Konoha in dire straits, praying all the way that the older ninja doesn't die, that his coffin won't be on Shikamaru's conscience.

He should have known. He should have known Ino would be waiting at the gates for them to come back. Goddamnit, why didn't he think of that? Of course she would, it's him and _him_ and she probably hadn't caught a wink of sleep since they left. He hates himself for thinking it, but he tries to think of an alternate route inside the village so she can avoid seeing this. He hates himself more when his brain concludes that the quickest way to the hospital is a straight line; directly past Ino. She spots them approaching and his heart twists at how her face turns anguished. He has failed her. He has let his contempt for this man overshadow his bond with her.

Ino is big as a watermelon but still manages to half-jog at his side, tears streaming and hands glowing with desperation to heal him. He can almost hear her prayers that Neji makes it to the hospital, underneath her terrified demands of _"Come on, wake up! Say something_!". He can almost hear her heart breaking.

Neji comes to, briefly. He squints blearily and while he can't concentrate on much through the agony wracking his body, he has enough consciousness to note that the heavily pregnant Yamanaka girl is crying over him and saying things that make no sense. He's fatigued beyond words and succumbs to the darkness soon after, and maybe it's for the better because the poor girl looks so distraught that she'd probably shatter if he asked why she was all over him. He swears he sees her mouth form the words 'I love you' but then everything goes blank, and he thinks no more.

Chouji has to pry Ino off of him when they make it to the hospital. Neji lives, by grace of Konoha's talented medical corps, but Ino remains moody for the rest of the month. Shikamaru stays by her side, intending to face her rage like a man, but she doesn't scream at him. She doesn't even question how things went wrong. Somehow, to Shikamaru, that's worse.

* * *

There are days when Ino cries herself to dehydration; when she misses Neji so _much_ and her heart is just so _pained_ that she thinks she might just die. It's too much for one person to take. It's too hard to go through by herself. But everyday the sun rises and sets and Ino still wakes up in the morning, ruined heart still pumping away in her chest. Every day she's able to block just a little more of the pain, like a stopper in her heart. She feels less and less until she convinces herself she feels nothing at all. Or, at least, she loses the will to challenge her newfound apathy. Sakura keeps a close eye on her; thinks she's handling it better since she's crying less. Shikamaru and Chouji worry over her. She smiles for them.

They see right through it.

Ino's son is born in a room with two beaming grandparents and two tearfully happy godfathers. Between the four of them, it's nearly an hour before Ino gets to hold him for the first time. She takes it in stride, using her hour to rest and watch the faces of people so happy to meet her child. This child who has no father and no last name at least has a group of people who love him dearly. Other faces pop in to visit: Kurenai and Asuka, Konohamaru, Sakura, Shikaku, Chouza. Every face but the one she really wants to see. Everyone is there to say _Ino, he's beautiful_ but there's nobody for her to turn to and say _he was worth it, wasn't he?_ Just minutes before she's discharged from her room, one last face comes to pay their respects. The old man leans on his cane and looks at her and her bundled baby with his free eye and the last of Ino's guests trickle out. She meets his gaze with the eyes of a lioness and Danzou smirks at her.

"The offer still stands."

"Not interested."

He stands there another moment, sizing her up. She's a clever kunoichi but she's foolish if she thinks this is over. Parenthood is hard and single parenthood is harder. Her parents will not be there forever to help her and when she's cracked and coming apart at the seams from job stress and trying to raise a kid, he'll be right there. Waiting.

He walks off, finally, but Ino knows the threat is not yet gone. Still, she is unafraid; neither she nor her father will hesitate to mentally incapacitate him should he try anything stupid and her mother knows her way around a frying pan. Her mother is, after all, best friends with Yoshino Nara.

Things get better, if only for a while. Seeing her son's face and hearing his voice are enough to keep Ino from withdrawing entirely and she builds her days around caring for him. He gives her something to focus on and motivates her to be her best self. By the time he's six months old his wardrobe is bigger than most five year olds, he's grown to recognize everyone Ino socializes with, and he's been to every child-friendly part of Konoha a number of times. At one year old he has a box full of toys he scorns in favor of digging in the grass and dirt with thin twigs. Inoichi buys him a small spade and is rewarded with Hiroto's first clear word: "Dirty!"

But sooner or later motherhood isn't enough to keep Ino happy. She misses the thrill of combat, misses seeing new lands, misses the sense of accomplishment that comes from _winning_. Motherhood is rewarding but not exciting, and just after Hiroto reaches eighteen months old, Ino starts back in Torture and Interrogation. On occassion, people gather the courage to ask her for dates. Ino turns down each one.

The years slip by.

To the surprise of few, Neji and Tenten reconcile their forgotten differences with the latter moving back into the house. Hiashi is pleased at last when they welcome their first daughter Nana into the world. Two years later they welcome a second: Nonoka. Despite the hesitance she felt in her first pregnancy, Tenten flourishes in motherhood. She takes to her new role in life like a duck to water and as much as he likens his nephew to his brother, in having sired two daughters, Hiashi can't help but to think that perhaps Neji is a little bit like him as well. Their happiness as a family is plain to all, but there are moments behind the scenes that none can imagine.

Sometimes, Neji feels he is forgetting something. He'll catch himself watching the kids and expecting to see three small bodies instead of two. He'll look at Tenten and be confused to see brown eyes looking back at him as something in him whispers that his lover's eyes were different, once. Somehow. His hands feel strange when he patches up his injuries and lets them heal the natural way - his body recalls the sensation of a cool breeze blowing through him, but that familiar longing makes no sense and Neji dismisses it.

Sometimes, Tenten feels like she has forgotten something. Something heavy and excruciating that gnaws at her psyche and screams to be remembered. There are days when she's short-tempered with Neji and she doesn't know why. Days when she'll suddenly have the irrational fear that he's going to meet some cute girl and leave her. There are days when she'll glimpse blonde hair and cry.

In an elaborate display the whole village comes out to see, Tsunade steps down from office and Naruto inherits the title.

Ino works hard in the Torture and Interrogation division, rarely leaving the village, and it's not long before her father steps down and hands her the reigns. It comes as a shock then, when Naruto is working through the mountains of paper on his desk one day and comes across an application for AnBu from none other than Yamanaka Ino. As a long-standing rule, he is required to test every applicant before either accepting them or rejecting them. Ino passes the test in half the given timeframe without a single flaw. When Naruto consults with Kakashi about her score, his ex-teacher reveals that her marks are almost the same as his were some twenty years ago. Kakashi recommends her, and so Naruto accepts Ino into the ranks of masked shinobi. Ino finds her perfect balance there : high pay rate, low mission frequency that's just enough to sate her sense of adventure and leaves plenty of time for motherhood and Interrogation. She has almost everything.

Sometimes she wonders if 'almost everything' is worth the cost of the love of her life.

As it turns out, Hiashi never approaches the Yamanakas about their pale eyed heir. Despite the fact that the child is obviously of Hyuuga descent, try as he might, Hiashi can't pin down who the father is. He has questioned every male member of the clan - twice - and all have claimed innocence. Even in his old age he is still extremely skilled at reading people, and none of them come across as lying. Without a definitive suspect, he cannot seal the child. Should the father be a member of the Main House there will be serious consequences as far as clan politics go. He gets the feeling that his daughters may know who the child's father is but both have grown into strong, confident women with skills approaching his own and neither will surrender a crumb of information.

Hiroto asks his grandfather why the pale eyed people look at him funny. Inoichi introduces him to Hinata, who shows him tender smiles and brings him trinkets to play with.

* * *

"Taichou! Orders?"

The Bear mask looks to her, body tensed and one hand gripping the katana over his shoulder. She can hear desperation creeping into his voice and beside him Monkey is eerily quiet, knuckles balled into tight fists at his sides. She can hear the chorus of their thoughts shouting the words _Is this the end? _In this moment, they are counting on her. They are betting with their lives that she is every bit the exceptional kunoichi rumors paint her to be. Maybe they even believe the hype around the missions she's done. She hopes they do. She hates to think they'll leave this world without believing in anything. The Boar mask exhales long and slow. She has narrowly beaten the odds too many times to think that luck is on their side.

_Yes,_ she almost replies. If they want answers from her, she'll give them. Better to die knowing the truth than believing in lies.

Instead she tells them that if they have any regrets in life, now is the time to let go of them. The three of them are quiet for a long moment - a moment of silence for the memory they will become, perhaps - when Monkey speaks up.

"Permission to remove our masks, Taichou? I want to see the faces of two of the most outstanding shinobi I've ever had the pleasure of knowing."

One by one, they remove the one thing shielding their identities. Bear reveals blood red eyes to go with his mess of curly black hair; hallmarks of the Yuuhi clan. It stands to reason the genjutsu specialist on their team would be such. Monkey has long auburn hair and dark eyes that Ino thinks she recognizes from the rookies who graduated the year after the Rookie Nine. She removes her own mask, and the three share a hug before Ino at last gives orders for their last-ditch plan to complete their mission.

They are dazed when they survive the encounter, just barely scraping by with their lives. It's an extremely close call, but just one more time Yamanaka Ino cheats death. Five weeks later find her in Naruto's office; a scroll the Hokage is reluctant to hand out sitting primly on his desk. Ino is unintimidated.

"What is it this time, unicorn blood? Mermaid tears?"

She tries to lighten the mood but it doesn't work. No matter what she says, nothing is going to get Naruto past the fact that the predicted chance of survival is only 10%. The mission requires the destruction of a dangerous relic so highly protected that it is damn near possible just to get a _look_ at it. And getting in was the easy part. Success in infiltration would immediately result in the sealing of escape routes. Naruto would do it himself, but his face is too recognizable among the shinobi nations.

Ino taps her foot.

"You have to send _somebody,_ Hokage-sama. Would you really rather send Sakura? Konohamaru? Hanabi? You know I'm the best you've got, no one else would have a prayer."

He grimaces, pinching the bridge of his nose and wishing to heaven he were smart enough to find an alternative solution. She is right, of course, on both accounts. _Someone_ would have to take this mission and if he were being honest with himself, sending anyone else was tantamount to forced martyrdom. He wonders if that was what she's aiming for and sighs. He knows in his bones with morbid certainty that if he hands her the mission scroll that he will be sending her into the waiting jaws of death but he has no choice; only someone of her caliber has any chance of at least completing the mission. He can try and talk her out of it with a speech about how she means more to Konoha than any singular mission, but she is _Yamanaka Ino_ and she'll just talk herself right back in. Round and round they'll go.

As much as he hates himself for it, when it's all said and done Konoha must come before friendships. He hands over the scroll.

The nagging ache between his eyes only abates when she returns four days later, worse for wear but victorious nonetheless. He doesn't know how much more of this cycle he can take as he slowly watches one of his comrades self-destruct, powerless to help.

* * *

She can feel it. Yamanaka Ino wakes up late one weekend afternoon and she can _feel_ it. Her room is the same, floor is the same, walls are the same. She runs her fingers along the walls as she walks the hallway, relishes the feel of the stiff, worn carpet beneath her feet and breathes in deeply the air of her home. It's whispering in her muscles. It's humming in her veins. _She can feel it_, and she smiles bright as a summer day when an AnBu drops by with a scroll. She accepts it, taking the time to thank the masked shinobi before they disappear and she tucks it under her arm.

She prepares a large breakfast, much too big for a child barely in his fifth year of life, and watches with undivided interest as he devours as much as he can. She plays his favorite games with him, watches him smile, and listens to his laughter. One day, this day will be a memory. The least she can do is make it a strong one. She kisses his cheeks until he squirms and complains; he's saved when his grandfather drops by. Inoichi entertains him as Ino pulls on her armor and equipment, her mask hanging at her hip. She leaves after a hug from her father, one that grows firm when she allows him a peek at her thoughts.

Ino reaches out with her senses as she trails the rooftops of Konoha with her mask in place, feeling for a particular chakra signature and finding it absent. _It figures_, a part of her mind snarls moodily. _It's just as well_, her inner kunoichi declares. In her path ahead, her senses pickup a different, unmistakable signature she recognizes without effort. At twenty-five years old, Nara Shikamaru is almost the spitting image of his father. Even from a distance, she can read him like a book just as he knows her better than his own shadow. They know each other well enough to know the coming conversation is a moot point, but the words will still be spoken. They wouldn't be Shikamaru and Ino if they didn't. Her sprint slows to a stop in front of him and Shikamaru stares past AnBu operative Boar and into the eyes of the girl behind the mask.

"Don't do this. Please Ino, don't."

He begs. He has never had too much pride to beg for his own life and he certainly doesn't have too much to beg for hers. His eyes water with the force of his emotions. No scroll gets handed out without him knowing about it, and had he known that scroll was going to Ino...

"Take care of yourself, Shikamaru."

"Ino, this is insane!"

His heart is breaking; some faded piece of his childhood dying. Not for the first time, his brain screams _there's no justice in the world_. She lifts up her mask and smiles at him.

"I'll miss you too."

He can't. He can't let this happen. Damn the rules and damn her fury, he is not going to lose Ino. He initiates the Kagemane jutsu without handsigns, not giving her the option of evasion-

...but when his shadows fail to attach to anything around the Yamanaka, when his shadows find no shadow to bind, the Shougi master realizes Ino is five moves ahead. He reaches out a hand forlornly and it passes right through her. He has been talking to a projected image in his mind and the girl it resembles is already long gone, may have been gone before he even spotted her. For the third time in his life, Shikamaru cries. The sky is cloudless and harshly beautiful.

* * *

Whatever else people liked to say about Yamanaka Ino, they could all agree on one thing: she was damn good at her job. In two months' time she'd completed over half of her mission objective; a mission with a projected duration of six months. She'd successfully infiltrated the headquarters of a crime ring in Wave Country, even going as far as to become the right hand woman of the ring's commander Kotobuki Toshi, and memorized the entire layout and future plans. It was all going remarkably well until one night Toshi strolled into the hideout with four Sunagakure-nins in bounds trailing behind him. It is the day, the breath, the moment her body has been warning her of since she left home. Toshi doesn't keep prisoners alive for long and Ino can't bear to let them be tortured; Sunagakure still maintains a strong alliance with Konoha and Naruto personally swore to Gaara that his people would never let Gaara's people die. Even if it means her blowing her cover sky high.

It takes her four hours to find a suitable distraction for Toshi and five more minutes to take care of the guards, then she is making her way to their holding cell in a gown so sheer that it whispers against her skin like a butterfly's kiss. The group is worn from hunger and exhaustion but there is not time for rest and Ino springs them free, pressing her AnBu mask into the hands of the leader. She gives them a detailed description of how to escape and leaves instructions that her mask be given to Gaara. She doesn't have time to learn their names or watch as they leave, Toshi has a notoriously short attention span and Ino needs time to construct an alibi for her whereabouts.

In the end, Toshi doesn't care where Ino or her brainwashed supporters say she was. He is angry and somebody must pay. She takes down two-thirds of his goons with her.

As word spreads, villages everywhere finally get to cross out a picture in their Bingo Book. A week later Konoha officially retires the porcelain boar mask, only worn by nine people, and replaces it with another. Safe in a padded box, the mask is sent to the house of a blue-eyed man raising a white-eyed child.

* * *

"When are they going to start?" Tenten whispers into his ear as they both stare down into the empty arena, the pit where the fights will take place. "Did it always take this long to start after the opening ceremony? Do you remember?"

It was exactly one month since the end of the preliminary chuunin exams concluded and now the semi-finalists were going to face off. Their eldest daughter, Nana, had been the only one of her team to make it to this round. She'd used the month to practice even harder : unlike the random assignment of the preliminary matches, the semi-finals were decided with great care and the list of who would be fighting whom had been public knowledge for weeks. Neji himself had gotten involved in Nana's training to assure her defenses would provide sufficient resistance. At just eleven years old, Nana is easily the youngest of the competitors. Even Hinata and Hanabi have come out to watch her fight.

A young man with spikey brown hair leaps into the ring from one side of the arena and an even younger girl, just barely a woman, leaps down from the opposite side. Neji quickly identified the male as Sarutobi Konohamaru. The female at his side looks to be Kurenai's daughter. Though only one of them bears the standard flak jacket it is clear the two of them will be the exam proctors for this round. They signal for the crowd to quiet and begin reading the rules of the exam. On Neji's other side, Nonoka squirms in her seat.

"Is onee-chan really going to be okay with just her _tonfa_?" she asks with concern coloring her face and Neji knows it is not out of thinking her older sister weak. Nonoka's Byakugan is weak, but even a weak Byakugan is an edge over her sister's coffee colored eyes. Nana is an adept meelee fighter and even better with her handy _tonfa_, but both may well be her undoing against her selected opponent. Asuka and Konohamaru finish reading at last and call the first pair down into the pit. Neji observes as Nana emerges from a door at one end while a blonde haired boy enters from another.

Nonoka frowns in disappointment. "That's the brain-hacker? He doesn't look like much."

Somewhere, on the surface, Neji agrees. Deeper down he feels the echoes of a lesson well-learned. The boy was not a Yamanaka_ officially_, but he was of the bloodline and Neji did his best to train his daughter against any mental assaults. Down in the pit the match begins, both gennin watching each other with sharp eyes. The microphones in the walls around them are sensitive and pick up every scuff of the foot. The large monitor opposite of the kage viewing box makes it easy for everybody to see the participants clearly and close up. Nana bares her teeth at the boy, anger blazing in her eyes as she twirls her tonfa.

"Don't think you're going to win with those counterfeit eyes of yours. Someone like you shouldn't even have them; you're not a Hyuuga! You're not even a Yamanaka. You're nothing."

Hiroto squares his jaw and keeps his body facing her but does not reply. Annoyed, Nana advances on him in an arc and swings at the back of his head. Hiroto dodges at the last possible second and leaps backward. Nana follows with a flying kick combo, refusing to grant him any ground. Hiroto blocks her feet and evades her tonfa before retreating even further.

"Stop running, coward!"

His taijutsu is good but Nana is confident hers is superior - she trained with Hyuugas as her mother had once done at her age. Even though she lacks the eyes required for the Jyuuken style of fighting, she is more than enough against most other styles. Hand-to-hand combat is her specialty and she knows many fighting forms to alternate between. She makes two clones and attacks again, but Hiroto knows which is the real her and pitches a smoke bomb at her. Nana slides back, far enough to be outside of the cloud of smoke and watches it with a tense expression as she uses the terrain to her advantage and climbs atop a small boulder, hoping to get an eye on him from above the smoke. The kunai that comes whistling at her almost causes her to fall as she twists to dodge it. Nana abandons her vantage point and stands a distance away on the ground as the smoke clears.

The more she sees of Hiroto's face, the angrier she gets.

"Come on, use your stupid mind techniques. You can't win just by blocking hits! I'll prove to you how a _real_ Hyuuga fights."

She goaded him on, hoping he would fall for it. Though it hadn't been tested, her father had shown her a meditation technique that Nana was hopeful could keep Hiroto out of her mind. All she needs is for him to try and when he struggles to gain entrance into her mind, then she would use her best attack.

"Do Hyuugas fight by running their mouths?"

He surprises her by responding and Nana feels her mouth gape just a little.

How. Dare. He.

How dare some _bastard_ stand there and mock her! She created clones again, three this time, and attacked with a fifteen hit combo. Hiroto ignored the clones and dodged every last blow. Up close, Nana could see the veins at the sides of his eyes puffed up.

Fine, so his Byakugan was functional. Nana still had the advantage: Hiroto didn't know Jyuuken and Nana knew where his blindspot was. She would use that to her advantage and put the impudent blonde in his place. Hiroto went to retreat again and Nana anticipated it, maneuvering herself behind him and going for the one hit he wouldn't see coming.

...except that Hiroto dipped into a stance all too familiar to Nana.

One strike to the chest forced Nana back, sealing some of her tenketsu, and all she could think of was _How?_ If she had known he knew Jyuuken she would have surely strategized better, but how could he know Jyuuken?

* * *

In the spectator stands, Neji watched with rapt attention as his daughter had tried again and again to close the distance and fight Hiroto up close. Time and time again the blonde had eluded her, effectively keeping her away from him without an offensive strike. It seemed as if he didn't want her to get within a certain range of him. The situation was oddly reminiscent to Neji in a way he couldn't explain. Words from other people, another time fluttered across his mind quick as lightning. Too fast to hold on to.

_'So you won't forfeit? I'm not responsible for what happens.'_

_'Tenten's skill and dexterity are far superior, but that girl's clever.'_

_'I had it under control, I didn't need your help. I don't need-'_

Neji clenched the armrests with a white-knuckle grip, his heartbeat just a little above normal and the beginnings of a headache forming near his ears. For a boy of questionable origins, the blonde strategized much like Neji would expect from someone familiar with the Jyuuken techniques. He stays exactly sixty-four feet away from Nana at all times - the precise length of a beginner's striking range. It makes perfect sense and yet it doesn't : why keep track of distance when neither of them have the training to take advantage of it? He watches as the boy activates the Byakugan and his veins swell. Looking at his face there's something achingly familiar in the lines of his features. Something known to him in the way the boy smirks every time Nana misses him.

_'I already know where your heart is.'_

_'What do you want from me?'_

_'We should end this.'_

The boy is like his mother, of this much Neji is sure even without knowing Yamanaka Ino. But there's something else there, too. Someone else. Hiroto has a Hyuuga lineage so perhaps it cannot be helped, but are mannerisms so strongly inherited? Neji finds himself contemplating the mystery of Hiroto's father, wondering who could keep quiet on such a matter for so long. It has been two years since Hiashi's passing and Hinata's ascension as leader. Why has nobody claimed him?

Nana charges with aim to the boy's upper back, just below his neck and Neji watches as Hiroto quite distinctly uses a Jyuuken strike to send her flying. _Someone_ has been teaching this blonde child. _Somebody_ knows something. Neji's gaze inadvertently falls on his younger cousins and for the first time, he wonders if Nana is not the one they have come to watch fight. Back in the pit, Nana's face betrays her pain as she tries to stand and Hiroto looks at her with an air of boredom.

"Don't look so surprised," he chides her in a voice much more gentle than the tone she'd used with him, "you were reckless. Recklessness will always lose to discipline. You go on and on about clans and techniques when the one without a kekkei genkai is you."

He turns his back on her to walk away and Neji sees the rage bubbling up in his daughter's face. She jumps to her feet and races at Hiroto. She will wipe that condescending look from his face, will put out those illegitmate eyes of his! He blocks her attacks, as expected, but when Nana flings off a bit of her tonfa to reveal the blade inside and makes to slash his neck, the bodies of Konohamaru, Asuka, Hinata and Inoichi stop her.

_'The person lost and suffering within the destiny of the main and branch houses is you.'_

All at once Hyuuga Neji is struck with the answer of who Hiroto reminds him of, and as the flood of memories crash into the forefront of his consciousness, his eyes catch the motion of a sparrow as it sets off into the sky.

-End part I-


	24. Jigoku Epilogue

**Jigoku Epilogue**

The memory of Ino's funeral takes some effort to remember but the more Neji thinks about it, the more details trickle back to him in bits and pieces. It had seemed so mundane at the time, almost _unncessary_. Yes, a revered Konoha shinobi had fallen, but was a full funeral really needed when the body couldn't even be recovered? She had been the third member of the Konoha Eleven to lose their life and yet there had been no grandiose memorial service for Rock Lee or the former ROOT member known as Sai. Neither had been given the honor of an overwhelming sea of flowers; the floral scent so pungent in the air that Neji was sure you could _smell_ Konoha half a mile away. The ground had been littered with pure white petals the breeze had plucked from the arrangements and scattered across the village. Although many had shown up to pay their respects to Ino few had stood to speak about her - most of the people in attendance had lost touch with her over time - but many cried. Naruto had freely let the tears roll down his cheeks, the vivacious enthusiasm of his youth slowly slipping away with each comrade he lost. Shikamaru had wept quietly from the front row, fists tightly balled at his sides. Chouji had saved his tears, instead lending a shoulder for Sakura to weep on. Many whispered condolences to Yamanaka Inoichi in passing, but the old blonde resolutely kept his eyes dry and trained on his daughter's picture.

But there had been someone even more interesting than Yamanaka Inoichi to watch.

Neji remembers, it was the first time he'd taken notice of the fair-haired child with the pallid eyes clutching tightly at Inoichi's side. There'd been rumors of a bastard Hyuuga running around, but it had never crossed his mind that such a child would have been _hers_. After some minutes he'd come to the conclusion that the child was the product of some Hyuuga branch member, the result of a fling, and thought little else of him. Hinata had given him the oddest look after the service, her eyes seeming to ask _What will you do?_ and something in him said that he _should_ do something, but all of the Whats and Whys tangled and twisted until Neji wasn't sure he understood the question anymore. With his pregnant wife at his side and Nana holding his hand, he could only muster a distant sense of pity for the boy with no mother or father.

Even after regaining his memories the answer remained far from clear. Though his world had forever changed, Neji struggled with the concept of whether or not it was okay to suddenly intrude on the lives that had carried on without him. He couldn't just swoop in and claim the boy as his son, not after twelve years of ignorant negligence. Nor could he simply put his marriage on the line a second time, to overturn the lives of his wife and daughter for his own selfish need to know the boy. He needed an in; a person or event to give him the opprotunity to get close. To finally build a relationship with a son who quite likely despised the Hyuuga clan.

And to do so without unwanted attention.

He got his chance not long after the exams - which neither Hiroto nor Nana had passed - when he lucked across Hanabi and Hiroto in one of the old training grounds. Hinata was bogged down with running the clan and Hanabi had just told Hiroto she'd been assigned a long -term mission. Hiroto would need someone to train him in the meanwhile. The week Hanabi left Neji awoke at the crack of dawn, dressed, and headed for the training grounds where he knew Hanabi and Hiroto practiced. There, he waited. If the child was any son of his, the absence of his tutor would be no excuse to miss training. The first three days passed in vain as Neji showed only to wait in an empty stretch of forest, but on the fourth day Hiroto showed, his surprise over finding somebody already there clear in the way his steps abruptly halted and his eyes widened.

There was an ironic sense of humor to be found in the fact that after three days of waiting and hours spent pondering exactly how to introduce himself, in the critical moment all it boiled down to was a simple

"Hello."

"...Hello, Hyuuga-san."

and they go from there. They begin with meditation - separately, each man in his own stretch of space contemplating the other. And when enough time has passed, they both move on to basic _kata_ movements. Separately. Somwhere between _block lower right flank_ and _tornado kick left_, Hiroto stops and cautiously turns to face him, distrust shimmering in his eyes.

"You know, you're the first one to..._be here_...like this. Other than-" he catches himself from speaking the names of his aunts, lest he give away something secret. Something _sacred_. He regroups quickly. "What're you doing here? If this is about that match with Nana-"

Neji raises one hand in signal to stop there, not wanting to go where those words may take them. He isn't here for that - and he _is_ - but now is neither the time nor place and if they start off on the wrong foot, Neji may never get this chance again.

"It isn't. I am only here to observe. And to help, if you wish it."

Hiroto's eyes narrow slightly, his guard still firmly in place in every sense.

"You've come to spy for the Hyuuga clan, then."

"No, I've come on my own."

He is ignored again after that, mindful of how the boy is carelful to never turn his back to him, and watches as the boy moves through skillset after skillset. When Hiroto begins to practice with the Byakugan, Neji is taken aback. Hiroto's _Jyuuken_ is far from that of a prodigy; he lacks the latent talent that came naturally to Neji - much like Hinata, Neji notes mentally - and for that doubles his effort. If anyone had told Neji he'd have a son nearly as untalented as Lee, he'd have beaten them to a pulp for daring to do so. But Hiroto asks nothing of him, and Neji keeps his silence, unwilling to wreck the fragile toleration Hiroto has shown him.

Neji shows up again the next day, and the next after that, and the next after that. He watches closely, storing away little details like which hand the boy favors and the frustrated glint in his eyes when he can't do something right, keeping them for later reflection. A full month passes before Hiroto stops guarding his blindspot and slowly, grudgingly, starts requesting pointers. By default, Neji is quasi-accepted as Hiroto's trainer, but a more personal surrender takes longer. Hanabi returns to find her role usurped and watches from a distance for several sessions, until she is sure that what she is witnessing is more than coincidence.

Neji eases in lessons on Hyuuga customs and traditions which Hiroto is none too thrill about, but listens to all the same. Their hours of training grow, and Hanabi is not the only one to notice Neji's sudden interest in the boy and the extra time they invest. Tenten asks him where it is he goes - a first in their relationship - and Neji answers her honestly.

...if not with some omissions. Tenten has it in mind that Hiroto is a half-breed distant cousin and Neji makes no point to correct her. He remembers the unhappiness she suffered at his infidelity, even if she does not, and to put her through it all again would be sheer cruelty. Nana can barely hide her distaste for his involvement with her chosen mortal enemy, and it takes several long discussions with her on the topics of family honor and unity before she simmers down from insecure jealousy to grudging acceptance. Gradually, Neji weaves Hiroto deeper and deeper into his life and his clan. If Inoichi or the remaining members of Team Ten have any objections, they don't show it.

One day in the middle of an evasion exercise, Hiroto asks him if he really knew his mother. If he'd really worked with her as her partner.

Neji immediately ceases his attack and Hiroto drops his defensive position. The air is still, silent but for the noises of the insects, and Neji brushes sweat and hair out of his face. It's such a simple question - an easy Yes or No - and yet it's so much more than that.

"Yes." , he answers softly. Carefully. Waiting to see if a barrage of questions follow. Debating with himself how much to reveal.

But Hiroto's face breaks into a grin and his shoulders relax just a little and Neji can see that he is pleased even with only that.

Little by little, Neji sets aside time in their training to share with him some of the adventures he and Ino had in the line of duty. Censored versions, of course. Hiroto devours each tale with fervor and five more questions for every one Neji answers.

By the time Hiroto is fourteen he is tall and his face has slimmed down. The ends of his hair brush past his collar bones and he keeps the sides of it back in a low ponytail. His resemblence to Neji, particularly when they are beside each other, becomes a point of attention and whispered hearsay. By the time Hiroto is fourteen, he is comfortable enough to open up to Neji about his darkest thoughts. He curses the absence of his unidentified father and the lack of explanation. He curses the man's abandonment of his mother. He rants about how such a heartless lowlife could not even be bothered to show up for his mother's memorial service-

And Neji knows that he has to tell him. He takes Hiroto out for a walk and ends up in the Forest of Death, almost in the same area where Ino had sat beside him as he mourned Gai, and Neji tells Hiroto everything.

For a while, his son is estatic. Not only does he know who his father is but he actually _knows_ his father. He sees Hinata, who he'd always looked to as a mother-figure, in a whole new light and trains with renewed vigor. Hiroto works hard to get acquainted with his sisters but when one day Nana tags along on their training, looks closely and _realizes_, she declares war anew and more fiercely than ever except now her father is on her blacklist as well. Inevitably, after a few months Hiroto begins to ask around and after getting the facts from his Uncle Shika and Kurenai-san, a grudge takes root in his heart and begins to grow with time.

By seventeen Hiroto has dived head-first into a rebellious stage. He is old enough to understand the full impact of losing his mother so early and the scandal of his parents' love. He is old enough to understand that he is a 'half-breed' and that being half of each is equal to less than both. He is old enough to understand that shinobi are supposed to be _selfless_. There's a need burning in his chest to belong somewhere, a need to find his place in the world, and pacifying words from Shikamaru mean little to him. Neji's words mean even less. Neji almost has a heart attack the day he hears that Hiroto is actually considering being sworn into ROOT. Old man Danzou had outlived Tsunade, is nearing ninety, and yet remains very much a threat. Neji decides to pay him a visit.

As he enters the headquarters of Danzou's supposedly defunct division, the faint memory of his confrontation with Sai comes to mind. It's not surprising really, most of the members of ROOT wear a near identical outfit Sai wore until the day he died. Rather, it is _because_ of Sai's passing - pre-dating Ino's - that the memory is drudged up. Neji had never taken the time to bother to learn if the boy's affections had been real. If they had, would it have made any difference? Would he have been able to let that man have Ino? Would Ino not have languished like she did, would she have been stronger if she'd had somebody beside her those years she spent alone? Maybe Hiroto could have had his mother for longer, maybe he could have had a father in those early years. Maybe Neji wouldn't be walking into ROOT to make a deal with the devil right now.

Fifteen paces in, he is met a pair of Danzou's favorites dutifully blocking his path. They neither bow nor show any sign of salute despite being years his junior. The one on the left, blue haired and small in stature, addresses him in informal terms.

"This sector is off limits. You may not proceed."

Neji's steps do not falter. "I have business with Danzou."

"Lord Danzou-sama has no business with you." The other answers, and the punk has the nerve to finger the tanto on his back in warning. They are strong and overly sure of themselves; perhaps due to having one or two Hyuugas in their division. They are trained to fight rogue-nin and various manner of _kekkei genkai_, trained to subdue and overpower opponents far beyond the skill of ordinary shinobi. To them, Neji pales against the tales of Uchiha Sasuke and his exceptional team.

Neji makes sure it is a mistake they will not soon forget.

He enters what he assumes to be Danzou's War Room and stalks up to the wrinkled prune of a man behind the desk. Age has robbed him of an intimidating appearence but his chakra remains as rigid as ever - tense as the gaze of a crocodile from the water. The elder sits with one hand on the desk and one on his cane and nothing of him showing any hint of surprise. Danzou is a man of good memory and patience and one way or another, he has always waited for the day another Hyuuga would seek him out. Danzou is seldom wrong.

"You know why I have come."

Danzou leans back into his chair, taking his time with his response. "There's a waste of breath. There isn't a thing about you that I don't know."

Neji nods, believes. "I won't allow him to fall into your hands."

Danzou grunts, shifting in his chair with an unchanging expression. "And how exactly do you propose to stop him from entering a division that doesn't exist?" the old man rumbled, knowing Konoha's laws like the back of his decrepit hand. ROOT was still very much a well-kept secret to those below a certain pay grade, and there were advantages to heading a branch of shinobi that was technically nonexistant. It was why he was granted the pick of the litter when it came to orphans. It was why there was no age restriction on entry. It was why his underlings were impervious to many of the rules taught in the academy.

Neji's face darkened, his lips pressed thin. He'd been asking himself the same thing for days. Even gennin were considered adults when it came to career-related decisions, there was nothing Neji could do to stop Hiroto from attempting to join ROOT...but that didn't mean there weren't things he could do to stop ROOT from _accepting_ him.

"The division known as ROOT, defunct as of three decades ago, currently has a roster of approximately one hundred twenty-seven shinobi. Fifteen of which are in preliminary training, twenty-nine with bloodline abilities, and more than forty who have knowledge of forbidden jutsu. A division that operates in the shadows even more so than the rest of the shinobi population; that carries out missions so clandestine that even the Hokage has little information on their movements."  
Neji paused suspensefully; Ino would've been proud.  
"How effective would such an organization be if the entirety of the force were to have all of their _tenketsu_ sealed, permanently?"

Now the corners of the ROOT commander's mouth dipped down sourly at the palpable threat. It was no bluff, he knew.

"Ah, but if one hundred twenty-seven men could be sealed by one man, they would be of no use to me. Do not mistake my members for those frail little pieces of shit that call themselves ninja these days. You may thin the herd, but I will not lose a hundred and twenty-seven to one!"

At this, Neji inclined his chin, composed and confident.

"No, not one. Four." Inoichi was up in years and Hinata couldn't be involved, but there was still Chouji, Shikamaru, and Sakura who would back him up in an instant and a Hokage who would look the other way. Who could protest the elimination of long-dead division? By the time Neji's feet left ROOT territory, his shoulders were lighter with the knowledge that his son was safe at last from Danzou.

Hiroto spends the next full year not speaking to him out of fury.

The day that Nonoka finally makes chuunin at the ripe age of sixteen, Neji starts to think about retiring. Money has never been a concern with him belonging to a prosperous clan, and he has long since reached the limits of his strength and advancement in rank. After years of his children eagerly awaiting his return home, it is now his turn to patiently wait and greet them when their missions end. It is an odd thing, at first, to become accustomed to sharing the house with Tenten on a regular basis instead of every now and then. She has her own routine, and he does his best to stay out of her way.

As a second year without communication with Hiroto begins, word reaches Neji that Yamanaka Inoichi has passed. A brain tumor, they say, hereditary in their clan. He looks for his son but can find him neither in the cemetary nor at the memorial stone or training grounds. For the first time, Neji knocks on the door to his son's apartment. When nobody answers, he enters. He finds Hiroto curled into a ball on the bedroom floor, eyes bloodshot and hair unkempt. Neji does not know if it has been hours or days since the demise of the Yamanaka clan leader, but he suspects Hiroto hasn't left his apartment since. He stays for the day, doing what he can to comfort him and unsure if he is succeeding. Somewhere depths of loneliness and grief, Hiroto finally forgives him. A cousin assumes leadership of the clan of mindwalkers and the flowershop closes it's doors for good. Once in a while, father and son sit in the abandoned garden behind it.

Neji's heart swells with pride when, at his eldest daughter's wedding, she and Hiroto finally find a kind of truce. They are older than their father was when Hiroto was conceived and each has seen the world and made their share of mistakes. Neji's first grandchild comes surprisingly not from Nana, but from Hiroto, and he cries when the Akimichi girl bears his son a daughter with sparkling blue eyes. _Genetics_, Sakura mumbles humorously outside the delivery room. Chouji is furious; Akimichi Chousami is barely seventeen.

Tenten passes one night quietly in her sleep, in the bed adjacent to Neji's. Although none of the original people to know the details of the couple's early years remain alive to tell the tale, no one is surprised when he mourns her death much like a close friend rather than a wife. She goes to her grave remembering nothing of the year she and her husband parted and never learning to truth about Hiroto.

Neji's time comes three years later. His body has grown frail and he has been bed-ridden for more than a season when everyone starts to accept the reality that he _isn't going to get better_. Neji doesn't particularly mind. On his sickbed, he is surrounded by his daughters, son, grandchildren, cousins, and friends. At last, he feels the peace he spent his life searching for; a peace he'd only known once in his life. It's been a long time coming - nearing forty years - but finally his sightless eyes see the blue ones he missed so much and he basks once again in the warmth of her smile.

They find him the next morning in the old Yamanaka garden. Nobody makes a protest when they bury him there.


End file.
